Mulder She Wrote
by Lt.Cmmdr. XFileUSS Enter
Summary: Special Agent Jacinta Federico is sent to help Mulder and Scully establish a connection between Roswell and future colonization of the Earth. Will they survive? Originally intended as humor, it didn't go in that direction. Please review. It may not be the
1. Jacinta Federico

Okay, this little guy was originally intended as Humor. It didn't continue in that direction..In any event, please review, no flames, whatever the heck that is.  
  
Disclaimer: Like, O, so many, I want to own the X-Files, in my dreams I own the X-Files, I WISH I owned the X-Files, but I don't own the X-Files. In short, All I do own are the characters I've invented, i.e. Jacinta Federico, and her family, friends, etc.  
December 1, 2002 9:00 A.M.  
  
Mulder glared intensely at Scully. Her skepticism really was getting to him. But he would never let her see he was frustrated, so as soon as she turned to face him, he relaxed his muscles as "read" his documents. He was about to explain the significance of this case, although he knew he would get the Scully-brush--off, but he was interrupted by a knock at the door. A visitor? That was unheard of in the X-Files office.  
  
Mulder looked up to see a girl about Scully's age walk in with a stack of papers under her arm. She smiled, and closed the door behind her. The two FBI agents stared at the intruder, almost demanding "Identify yourself!"  
  
The girl walked up awkwardly and smiled again. "Special Agent Jacinta Federico." Mulder was about to ask what he could do for this Jacinta Federico, but to his already frayed nerves dread, Scully got up from her seat at the edge of Mulder's desk before he could speak and smiled at Federico.  
  
"Of, course. I'm sorry, Mulder. I meant to tell you. Skinner sent us another Agent to help us on this new case."  
  
"The case you keep telling me has absolutely no significance to the human race?"  
  
"No, a case I also forgot to tell you about." Scully smiled.  
  
Mulder sighed. Why couldn't Scully tell him of these things? He always told her of their new cases. HE always told her when they were getting extra help. She couldn't do the same for him? Well! He would have to have a little talk with his partner later.  
  
Mulder looked at Scully disturbed. While contemplating why in the world they needed more help, Mulder began to wonder if Skinner was implying that they were incapable. Hm. Was he paranoid?  
  
Reading his mind, Scully discreetly alerted him that Federico was an expert with the information required for this case. "Agent Federico is an expert about Roswell."  
  
"Roswell?" repeated Mulder.  
  
"Roswell," said Scully, smiling in her most annoying manner.  
  
Mulder sighed, and leaned back in his chair. "Would anyone care to fill me in on what this case is about?"  
  
Federico plopped her papers down on Mulder's desk and smiled.  
  
"We are to investigate the relationship between Roswell and the future plans for colonization," Federico declared simply.  
  
"Tell me A.D. Skinner came up with this one!" Mulder said in disbelief.  
  
"No...."said Scully, rocking slightly from her perch on the desk. "I did."  
  
Mulder pinched himself. Then he poked himself with his pencil--hard. He even considered stapling himself, but decided that if this wasn't a dream afterall, he'd be very sorry in the end.  
  
"And where do we start?"  
  
"That's up to us." Federico smiled, and made herself at home. "I've really been hoping to get an assignment with you two for a while now! I find this field incredibly fascinating!"  
  
Mulder adjusted his feet on his desk, and stared at the ceiling. Where to start? His mind wandered away from the assignment to why he had to get stuck with two women.  
  
Federico wanted to get down to business. She wanted to find the most delicate way to say, "Let's get a move on."  
  
"Ummm....I was thinking, that we should start at the scene of the crime....Rosewell....I know it's incredibly obvious, but...." she added after a slight pause.  
  
"No,no. It's a fine idea." Scully said, rushing to make sure Federico wasn't going to become discouraged. "Come on, Mulder." she added, shoving his ffet off the desk, and sending him reeling in circles in his chair.  
  
On the plane, Scully studied some files intently. "The only resident old enough to remember the incident who was there at the time of the crash is a Ms. Ke...Ke......Kel......Ms. Somehtingorother. I suggest we talk to her, and then see what we find."  
  
Two hours later, the mismatched trio walked up to a door and knocked repetitively. An elderly lady answered the door and smiled. "Can I help you?"  
  
"Yes. I'm Special Agent Scully, and these are my partners Special Agent Mulder and Special Agent Federico. We're with the FBI. Are you Mrs....um...."  
  
"Kyztwqplhgbcv?"  
  
Scully glanced at her paper. She wasn't sure if it sounded right.  
  
"May we come in?"  
  
Mrs. Kyztwqplhgbcv stepped aside allowing them in.  
  
"We understand you lived here at the time of the Roswell incident?" Federico said pointedly, admiring a floral picture frame, then adjusting her attention on Mrs. "Thing."  
  
"That correct." the lady with the unpronounceable name replied.  
  
"We'd like to ask you a few questions about this."  
  
The lady looked at them unsure for a moment.  
  
"May I see you badges again?"  
  
All three gave a slight sigh and handed them their badges. Mrs. Thing nodded and handed them back.  
  
"I can't tell you anything."  
  
"Ma'am. I can assure you, we are with the FBI."  
  
"I realize that. But I am not at liberty to tell you anything you can't already find in your FBI literature."  
  
"The thing is," Mulder said sitting on a couch edge, "We don't have any FBI literature to go on. Just your good word."  
  
"Then I'm sorry, you'll have to take your hunches elsewhere."  
  
Federico wandered into another room, Scully watched Federico leave her sight, but decided it was best to trust her temperary partner's judgment and continued with the lady.  
  
"Can you tell us why you can't tell us anything?"  
  
"No....I...well......I can't."  
  
"Does it have something to do with this?" Federico returned waving a stack of papers inside a folder.  
  
"Where did you get that?"  
  
"Your bookshelf. Not a good place to hide a statement to keep your mouth shut. This isn't just any statement. Apparently, this is a military threat."  
  
Scully eyed Federico suspiciously. That folder.....  
  
"If they hear I've spoken......"  
  
"They won't," Mulder assured.  
  
"Yes. The military threatened us. I know what I saw. It didn't have anything to do with the weather."  
  
"Where would they have taken the bodies?"  
  
"Bodies?" Mrs. Thing looked at Federico indignantly.  
  
"From the craft. You know, aliens?"  
  
"I never said anything-"  
  
"-I know. I did."  
  
Mrs. Thing paused. "My best bet would be Area 51. Although they never said antyhing about all that."  
  
"Why Area 51?" Scully frowned.  
  
"Why? Where else? You think they would really take them to the White house? Wouldn't put it past them though."  
  
"Thank you....Mrs...um....Keckeckbacherleckembeichrembecko," Federico said, giving her best shot at the name, "You've been very helpfull."  
  
"You won't tell anyone! Will you?"  
  
"You have our word, Mrs," Mulder glanced down at his paper and read off the letters, "K-y-z-t-w-q-p-l-h-g-b-c-v. THankyou." Mulder closed the door.  
  
"Federico!"  
  
Federico turned around.  
  
"That was completely irresponsible. Prying into her folders!"  
  
"Those weren't HER folders! I just pulled out my notes and took a wild guess." Federico smiled. "Come on. We're driving."  
  
"Where to?"  
  
"We gonna see Area 51!" Federico picked up her cell phone and made her way to the car.  
  
Mulder leaned over to Scully. "I like this kid." and then walked off. Scully just frowned, then sighed. "I guess there's something lovable about the girl."  
  
"Turn right here. Right. Right! MULDER!"  
  
"You didn't give me enough time!"  
  
"She told you half way down the block! How slow are your reflexes!?" Scully looked over at Mulder, who was trying to make a u-turn.  
  
"Once we get on the highway, keep your eyes peeled for Exit 24....Or 28...Scully? Is that a 4 or an 8?"  
  
Federico handed Scully a piece of paper with terrible wiritng on it. "A 4."  
  
"Can't you read your own handwriting?"  
  
"Keep your eyes on the road, Mulder."  
  
Scully smiled and leaned over to Mulder. "I'm beginning to like this kid."  
  
Mulder frowned and through a sunflower shell at her.  
  
Mulder looked up. "Exit 24 coming up on the right."  
  
"Turn on to it.....And go straight till you hit the most remote field you've ever known."  
  
"Remote field coming up ahead," Mulder blandly stated after 20 minutes.  
  
Federico got out of the car and glanced around. "It should be roughly 2 miles up that way." Mulder and Scully got out of the car, and the three headed off.  
  
"So how long have you been with the FBI?"  
  
"Four years."  
  
"Same division?"  
  
"Counterterrism the entire time."  
  
"Few more years and you won't have to worry about being transferred."  
  
Federico nodded. Scully looked around.  
  
"What do we do once we're there?"  
  
"You mean you don't know?" Scully looked at Federico.  
  
"I was hoping you'd have an idea, Agent Scully."  
  
"Stop." Mulder suddenly said.  
  
"We're 50 yards away.Any further and they'll shoot us on the spot," he continued.  
  
Scully looked around and took refuge by a bush. She liked Federico, but, like Mulder,, she really wished she had a plan. Mulder dished out some binoculars, and they crouched in the bushes. OF course, this wasn't going to do them very much good. If they wanted reall information, they would have to look into the facilities. In order to do that, they would have to be in Area 51.  
  
"Or would we...." Scully wondered outloud, putting down her binoculars. She rolled onto her back and whipped out her cell phone, not even acknologing the question stares she received from her partners.  
  
"Frohike." The man on the other line said.  
  
"Frohike? It's Scully."  
  
"Frohike?" Federico mouthed to Mulder.  
  
"A lone gunmen." he quietly responded.  
  
"A long gunmen?" Federico mouthed to Scully.  
  
"What can I do for ya', Scully?"  
  
"Think you could whip up 6 cameras about the size of a pencil point, audio and visual, and stick them in sperate eyeglass cases and mail it down to the Woodside Hotel in Arizona?"  
  
"Is Mulder there?"  
  
Scully handed Mulder her phone.  
  
"Mulder? You've pushed her over the edge? Do you realize what she just asked me?"  
  
"We heard."  
  
"WE?" Frohike sounded suprised.  
  
"Oh, yeah." Mulder looked over at Federico. "We've got us another agent helping us on the job. Jacinta Federico."  
  
"Uh-huh. She lose as many marbles as the rest of ya'?"  
  
"Nearly." Mulder said smiling.  
  
"Let me talk to Langly and Byers. I'll get back to ya'."  
  
"Great.....Oh, uh, Frohike? You still there?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Scully wants to add something."  
  
Scully took the phone. "Think you could hook those cameras up to a computer screen or two? We're gonna need to monitor it."  
  
"SCULLY!"  
  
Click.  
  
Scully put the phone away.  
  
Frohike frowned. "I don't believe this. LANGLY! BYERS! WE'VE GOT AN ASSIGNMENT!"  
  
Scully resumed her binocular readings. By nightfall she could barely see anymore, and had to red rings cirling her eyes. As perturbed as she was, she was reluctant to leave, but her scientific side got the better of her. "This is stupid."  
  
"Pardon?" Mulder asked, just barely able to roll over onto his side.  
  
"It's stupid! WE've been out here since 2:00 this afternoon, it is now........" Scully paused to find her watch. "12:00 at night. There's no point. We haven't found anything yet, and we should just check into the hotel."  
  
Federico lowered her binoculars at last. She looked at Mulder who gave a slight nod, and began heading for the car. The two women followed in suit.  
  
Mulder frowned. Establishing any connection between Roswell and future colonization would definitely prove fruitless unless they could get direct access to good information. And he didn't mean just a visual camera inside an eyeglass case. Eyeglass case? What was Scully thinking? What good will that do? Is it really gonna help? Is it really going to further their project?  
  
"Scully, why an eye glass case?" Mulder said suddenly to his partner on their way back to the hotel.  
  
"Excuse me, Mulder?" Scully said, with the quoestioning-confused look that only Scully had truly mastered.  
  
"Why an eyeglass case?" Mulder asked, turning his attention back to the road.  
  
"Quiet, you two! I'm trying to convince the hotel guy that we do have rooms there....Yes. I'm still here. Sir? I booked this room 4 days ago."  
  
"You've known about this assignment for 4 days? And you didn't tell me?" Mulder was getting indignant.  
  
"SSSSHHHH!!!!!!"  
  
Scully whispered quietly again, "Yes, I didn't get a chance to tell you. Relax. Nothing personal. And as for those eyeglass cases, I'll tell you as soon as Frohike tells me he's got the cameras."  
  
The Scully brush off. Mulder's thoughts ran wild. I hate the Scully brush off........Ah, Hush yourself Federico. The driver gets certain privileges. OH! I'm Scully, and I don't have to tell you why I suddenly need little cameras the size of pencil points even if you are my partner for 6 years. OH!  
  
Scully turned to Mulder slightly dazed. "I'm sorry, did you say something?"  
  
"No."  
  
Darn it. Could I have said that last part aloud.....No. If I had I would have recieved the Scully glare. The Scully glare. That's another thing that really p.o.'s me.  
  
Mulder swung into the parking lot of a beautifull little hotel.  
  
"Oh, this is gonna dig deep into the FBI budget." Mulder muttered under his breath.  
  
"Mulder?" Scully was agitated with these silent little mutterings.  
  
"No, actually it won't." Federico closed the door. "It's pretty cheap." She through Mulder a brochure. He looked it over.  
  
"Thrifty." Mulder said, smiling for the first time in hours, then through the papers to Scully. She in turn looked it over, and quite liked the prospects.  
  
"Can I help you?" A little old man forwned across the counter.  
  
"Ah, yes. I'm Jacinta Federico. I called earlier confirming our rooms?"  
  
"Oh. you." The man said, even less chipper than before.  
  
Jacinta waited.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Our keys. We could use our keys."  
  
"First you pay."  
  
"I paid online."  
  
"No. I'm fine."  
  
"I payed online."  
  
"I don't care where you dined."  
  
"I PAID YOU ONLINE!"  
  
"I know! I KNOW!"  
  
Moments passed.  
  
"YES!?"  
  
"We need our keys......To our rooms????"  
  
"Keys. Keys." The man wandered into another room.  
  
Mulder eyes the furnishings. "Think this place is as ancient as he?"  
  
Federico slapped him.  
  
"HEre are your keys."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
On the 4th floor, outsides rooms 402,404, and 406, Federico handed out keys, then they opened the doors.  
  
Looking around for a place to hang he clothes, Scully came a cross an oak door. Closet? She opened it.  
  
"Federico?"  
  
"Scully?"  
  
"I-I'm sorry. I thought this was a closet."  
  
"You mean it's not?"  
  
Scully looked around, and headed for the closet on the other side of the room.  
  
"Mulder?" Scully said, through the open door.  
  
"Yes?...." Mulder turned around. "Cool trick, Scully. Tell me. How'd ya' do it?"  
  
Scully slammed the door, then turned to Federico who stood smiling by Scully's fireplace.  
  
"I don't mind sharing adjacening rooms with you. But Mulder?"  
  
Presently, a thud is heard on Scully's door. She opens it a Mulder frowns at her.  
  
"Walls are thin. Don't insult me within earshot."  
  
Scully rolled her eyes, and slammed the door.  
  
"OW!" came a muffled cry from another room.  
  
Mulder was starng at the door in his face when his cell phone rang.  
  
"Mulder."  
  
"It's Langly."  
  
"Hi."  
  
"The hawk has landed."  
  
"What?"  
  
"The Ship is sailing."  
  
"What?"  
  
"The vulture has moved for the kill!"  
  
"LANGLY!"  
  
"I HAVE YOUR PENCIL POINT CAMERAS!"  
  
"And eyeglass cases?"  
  
"And Eyeglass cases."  
  
"Great. I'll tell Scully."  
  
Click.  
  
Mulder laughed inwardly. Like Scully, he at one point never understood how phone calls could end with no proper goodbye. Yet, now that was all he ever did.  
  
"Scully?"  
  
"Scull? Mulder's calling you." Federico said indifferently from her bed.  
  
"Oh, no." Scully said peering into Federico's room. "Don't start making the same mistake Mulder did when I was first assigned to the X-Files. Scull-ee. Scull has a bad conotation. Scull-ee is my name. Scull-ee. EE. "  
  
Federico laughed. "Scull-EE," she said and Scully smiled, "Mulder is calling you."  
  
"Oh. Thanks." Scully crossed over Federico's threshold and into Mulder's room. "Yeah?"  
  
Mulder looked confused. "I thought you had the middle room."  
  
"Yeah, but I switched. You snore."  
  
"What? You didn't tell me that!" Federico cried from the bed.  
  
"I do not snore." Mulder was indignant.  
  
"You wanted to tell me something?" Scully said, trying to avoid a confrontation.  
  
"Yeah. Langly has the cameras. And the eyeglass cases.............. Scully? Please. What are they for?"  
  
"They are to be our ears and eyes. If we can throw them close enough to area 51, maybe we can hear something. see something. Anything."  
  
"We won't get into the facilities."  
  
"But we'll get information than 50 yards away all the same."  
  
"He's shippin' them down tomorrow."  
  
"Tonight."  
  
"You call him. Their p.o.ed anyway for such short notice."  
  
"When do we ever even give them notice?" Scully asked dialing the gunmen's cell number and walking back to her room. "Hi. Langly? Oh, Byers. It's Scully," she said as she closed her door.  
  
December 2, 2002 7:30 A.M.  
  
"SPECIAL DELIVERY!"  
  
Mulder bursted into Federico's room and threw open the curtains, waking her up.  
  
"What the...."  
  
"RISE AND SHING, SCULLY!"  
  
"Mulder.....?"  
  
Scully joined Mulder and Federico in Federico's room, as Federico tried to get some more sleep.  
  
"They came!"  
  
"The cameras?" Asked Scully happily.  
  
"Post man dropped it off 10 minutes ago."  
  
"Don''t post men ever sleep?" Federico mumbled angrily.  
  
Scully inspected there work and diligently looked for the bugs that had been carefully hidden inside the linings. After she finished scrutinizing over the gunmen's handiwork, she announced the needed to get to area 51.  
  
"When I joined the FBI, I thought sleep would still be made available to me," Federico said as she climbed out of bed.  
  
"We only need two people."  
  
"Two?" Asked Mulder.  
  
"Yeah. You see, If we can throw these little guys close enough to 51, and all around the base, we should be able to get a reasonable view and good sound quality of the site. Maybe in doing so we can find a way in."  
  
"Two people?" asked Federico, then she pointed one at a time to Scully and Mulder saying, "One. Two. Goodnight." With that she jumped into bed.  
  
"Ny-uh-uh. Not so fast." Scully said catching up Federico's covers. Federico groaned. "We'll need you to monitor the cameras while we drive back. And we've got to hook them up to our computers."  
  
Federico looked at the bugs and took one of the camera cases. She pulled the lap top onto her bed and looked up at Mulder.  
  
"Did the 'Lone Gunmen' happen to send instructions?"  
  
Mulder threw them to her. She found the file mentioned in the 12-step monitoring device for ideots, and typed in each coded cameras tag numbers. Six screens popped up on the monitor, 5 showing the inside of a package (where Mulder had left them), and 1 staring Federico in the face (the one which she held in her hand.)  
  
Federico turned to the 2 agents watching her. "Off, my little messengers! Fly and be free!"  
  
Scully rolled her eyes and threw on her coat (She and Mulder took the liberty of acutally dressing), but Mulder didn't move.  
  
"Well?" Federico asked, thinking she had forgoteen something. "Aren't you going, too?"  
  
"Oh, no." He said, finally picking up his coat, and almost out the door. "I'm a homing piegoen." He said simpl. Narrowly missing a slap from Federico, he slammed his hallway door and dissapeared with the package.  
  
About half an hour later, Federico's cell phone rang. Not wanting to get out of bed, she pulled her bag to her by means of her umbrella.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Federico?"  
  
"Speaking."  
  
"Federico, why don't you answer like a normal person?"  
  
"And how does one accomplish that?"  
  
"Uh..mmm...well.....By saying your last name."  
  
"Reall normal, Mulder. Reall normal."  
  
"That's not important."  
  
"Why'd you call anyway? See how I answer my cell phone?"  
  
"Scully wants me to tell you that The cameras are in place. We threw them as far as possible to area 51 without getting noticed. Not an easy task."  
  
"I'd imagine."  
  
"You can start monitoring them. We should be back withing the hour."  
  
"Okay, Mu-"  
  
Click.  
  
Federico was stunned. Had he hung up? She dialed his number.  
  
"Mulder."  
  
"Hi, Mulder. It's Federico."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I think we got disconnected."  
  
"No.....I hung up...." Mulder said, unsure of what the problem was.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"We'll be back soon, eh?"  
  
"Alright. Where-"  
  
Click.  
  
Federico frowned and closed her cell phone. Pulling her lap top back onto her bed she uploaded the camera screens.Aside from being green, the pictures were pretty clear. The idea of putting tiny cameras inside eyeglass cases were ingenius. If any one found them, they would never suspect anything. Until tehy ralize the close proximity and 5 others just like it in a 360 degree radious around the base. Other than that, nothing could give them away. Unless someone spotted Mulder and Scully throwing them. Even so, how'd they ever track them? Unless, they manage to get their licence plate number down. Would tehy really be that quick thinking though? Chances are slim. But we are dealing with the X-Files here. In the X-files, even slim chances are chances, and the most unreasonable, least plausible ttheory is exposed as truth.  
  
"We're HOOOOMMMMEEEE!"  
  
Federico perked up. Had those few thoughts really taken almost half-an hour to think? Did she really take that long to think something that your average cockaroach could comprhend in under 40 seconds? Maybe SHE was an X- File?  
  
"Anything?" Scully asked plopping down on the bed.  
  
"Nothing quite yet." Federico said. THat was a lie. If she was really lost that much in thought for over half an hour, there was absolutely no gaurantee she was paying even the laeast amount of attention to the compouter screen before her.  
  
"Well, at least we didn't miss anything...."  
  
"I hope...." Federico said wuielty.  
  
"How do you know you weren't spotted?" She asked finally.  
  
"We don't." Mulder said, chewing a sunflower seed. "We just hidd in the bushes around the base and hoped for the best."  
  
"Great plan. What were you gonna say when you got caught? That you must have turned the wrong way on the yellow brick road?" Mulder glared.  
  
Federico handed over her laptop to Scully so that shee could go and actually wash and dress. Upon returning, She resumed her postiiion at hte monitor. Nothing exciting was happening, and Scully was praying that someone-ANYONE, even Frohike- would call. A distraction. Maybe a cord would spark and the hotel would catch fire. That'd be pretty exciting. Maybe she could hide Mulder's sunflower seeds, and let the drama unfold when he realized he had lost his love.  
  
"That's odd."  
  
Scully turned her attention to Federico's computer monitor.  
  
"Here, look at this." Federico pointed to something on the screen. Mulder put down hid sunflower seeds to coeme and join them, and Scully seriously considered seizibg the oportunity of flushing them down the toilet.  
  
"What?" Mulder didn't see it. Niether did Scully for that matter.  
  
"Watch this." Federico waved the mouse, hit some keys, and miraculously she enllargened a portion of the window that belonged to camera 6. A figure was at the window. It had long, sleek eyes, and a.....well....round head. If the image wasn't green, Mulder was sure the figure would have grey skin.  
  
"What section is that?" Scully asked.  
  
Mulder checked his map where they had marked the sites of the six strategically placed cameras.  
  
"Ehhhh......quadrant 492.....reasearch facility." He looked at Scully. Federico smiled, but it quickly faded. She zoomed in on a guard's face and frowned.  
  
"I know him........"  
  
"What?" Scully said turning to Federico.  
  
"I know him!" She jumped up and dialed a number on the hotel's phone.  
  
"Kaitlyn?"  
  
"WHo is this speaking?"  
  
"Feder......Jacinta."  
  
"Hi! How are you?"  
  
"Fine..thanks.......Um. I'm on a case right now...I need some info. Your cousin."  
  
"Steven?"  
  
"Yeah. He's in the military right?"  
  
"Yeah. Works at Area 51."  
  
"Really......"  
  
" Ya. He's due back tomorrow for a visit."  
  
"Think I could........meet him?..Or rather.......Could you set up an apointment with him for me at the headquarters in D.C.?"  
  
"Military headquarters."  
  
"That's right."  
  
"Sure. Don't see why not. You gonna tell me what case your on?"  
  
"Can''t/ Classified."  
  
"Wait! Your in D.C.?"  
  
"Uh....Yeah." Federico lied.  
  
"He'll be with us in NY. Not D.C."  
  
"Darn.........Can I still arrange to see him at the baze in NY?"  
  
"Yeah. That should be feasable."  
  
"Great. Can't thank you enough, Kaits. Oh! Don't let him know I'm with the FBI....Tell hin I'm interesrted in joinin' the military."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"It's important to the case."  
  
"Alright. IF it's necessary."  
  
"Thanks, Kaits. Your a life saver. Talk soon. Bye."  
  
"Bye."  
  
Federico hung up promptly. "I've got to get to New York."  
  
"Pardon?" Scully asked.  
  
"New York. Gotta go. Good idea. May have a chance." she said dialing the nearest airports.  
  
Scully looked at Mulder.  
  
"What are you going to do?"  
  
"I think I can get into a military base filing cabinet."  
  
"Really....."  
  
"yup."  
  
Mulder smiled at Scully. "I'm not tired. New York never sleeps. I could fit in."  
  
Federico smiled at Mulder, and told the lady on the phone, "I'm sorry make that 2 tickets. THat's right."  
  
"Three." Scully mumbled shutting the computer.  
  
"I'm sorry," Federico said, "Make that 3 tickets and 2 hard-boiled eggs."  
  
Queens, NY December 3, 2002.  
  
Federico rang a door of Shadywood gardens in Queence, NYC. A lady answered the door.  
  
"Hi, ma'!"  
  
Scully looked bewildered. "Federico? You said you booked us a hotel."  
  
Federico nodded and smiled. "This is it. My home. Told ya' it'd be cheap to stay."  
  
"Oh, Federico. We couldn't impose."  
  
"Please, don't worry, Agent Scully," Federico's mother said. "WE don't mind. Come in."  
  
Scully glanced at Mulder, who seemed to have no problem with entering the house. She walked in and was greeted by a trio of cats.  
  
"This is Gwendy, this is Felice, and this is Peaches....." Federico said, introducing the kitties. Gwendy was the oldest, then Felice, and then Peaches, the spry little thing. Mulder approached Peaches sweetly. "Hi ya', little guy....."  
  
"NOOOO!" Federico lunged at Mulder and pushed him away from Peaches, just in time to save him from 6 ripe claws ready to dig into his face. "Peaches, isn't what you call friendly....." Then more quietly, Federico added, "He's got.....problems....."  
  
Scully put her bags down. "Like Mulder....."  
  
Mulder pretended not to notice. Mrs. Federico smiled at the crew. "Sleeping arrangments will prove tricky. Let's take your things up stairs."  
  
Scully and Mulder followed the mother and daughter up the stairs and into another apartment. "My grandparents live below us, with Gwen. Peaches and Felice aren't supposed to be down there, actuallly."  
  
Mulder smiled at the idea. "A rebel, eh?"  
  
"You could say that." Mrs. Federico headed back for the hallway door. "I'll let you get settled in. I'll call you for dinner."  
  
Once she left Federico looked around. "Right. Somebody can take my bed.....Who wants to sleep where?"  
  
Mulder lept on the couch and called out, "Mine!"  
  
Scully rolled her eyes.  
  
"Right. Then, Scully? You can take my bed."  
  
"I wouldn't dream of it."  
  
"Ah, c'mon."  
  
"No! I'm the guest, I say you take the bed."  
  
"We have a blow up bed."  
  
"I'll take that."  
  
Federico smiled. "Let's load you stuff into the....umm....." Federico looked around. The houses in the historical preservation of Shadyside Gardens, built in 1927, weren't made to house very many people. "When they built this place, they assumed that all future inhabitants were going to be midgets with no funriture......."  
  
Mulder smiled mischieviously. "And you know what they say about people who assume. They make-"  
  
"Mulder!" The women were clearly horrified.  
  
"I suppose we could hoard your things onto the loveseat....." Federico said, pulling Scully and Mulder's things onto the blue couch, covered by a thin, white blanket.  
  
"It's a very lovely house." Scully said, perching herself on the piano stool.  
  
"Thank you. But you needn't lie." Federico said laughing.  
  
"I would NEVER lie!" Mulder said. "I unwillingly engage in a campaign of misinformation. OW!" He screeched as Scully threw a pillow at him. "That was uncalled for!"  
  
Federico laughed as she scoped the scene. She knew they were gonna be a handfull. Maybe not so much Scully as Mulder. But what the heck. They were a fun pair. And she was really happy she was getting the chance to work with them.  
  
8:40 P.M  
  
"Meatloaf is delicious, Mr. Federico." Mulder said sincerely to Federico's grandfather.  
  
"Sivbodi. And Thankyou." Mr.Sivbodi (grandfather "Poppi") said smiling.  
  
"Sivbodi...." Mulder said slightly uncomfortable.  
  
Federico exchanged an amused glance with her mother. The phone rang.  
  
"I got it." Federico said jumping up.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
Mulder rolled his eyes at his meatloaf. Why couldn't she answer a phone properly?  
  
"Hey, Kaits. How are you?" Federico moved deeper into the kitchen. When she emerged, she sat down nervously.  
  
"I pry into the cabinets tomorrow."  
  
"Pardon?" Mrs. Sivbodi, Federico's grandmother asked.  
  
"No. Something for work, Nan."  
  
"How're ya' going to manage?" Mulder asked. His and Scully's accents sounded slightly odd against the heavy New York accents. Mrs. Sivbodi's was the heaviest, and Federico's perhaps one of the lightest, but to the two straight out of the south, they felt they're speech was a little out of place.  
  
"My friend, Kaitlyn, has a cousin in the military. Works at 51, but is comming here for a break. I've arranged for him to give a tour of a base here in Ny. I'm pretending to be interested in joining the military. He doesn't know I'm with the FBI."  
  
"Sneaky."  
  
"S'pose you could say that."  
  
December 4, 2002 9:40 A.M.  
  
Federico frowned as she drove her car to the base. She had to step on it, or she'd be late for her meeting with Steven O'Quinn. She really didn't wanna go. But it would help the case. At least, she hoped it would. She'd probably'd find something. Anything. The reall task will be managing to say good bye to him, and then get into a room designated for files. On top of that, she would need to get into the room undetected. And it would have to be an empty room. Oh, and no one could enter while she was still in there. And no one could see her go in. Or see her come out. This was getting more and more complicated.  
  
She pulled into the visitor's driveway and got out. A man in uniform walked up to her. "Can I help you?" he asked.  
  
"Yes. I'm looking for a Seargent O'Quinn. Would you know him?"  
  
"Jacinta Federico?"  
  
"Yes. I am she."  
  
"I'm Seargent O'Quinn. I've been expecting you. Kaitlyn said you're interested in the military?"  
  
"Yes. I've been considering joining for sometime now."  
  
He led the way ot the base.  
  
"Kaitlyn didn't mention your occupation. What do you do for a living?"  
  
Federico stumbled inwardly. Pardon? Me? Living? I'm not prepared for this?  
  
"I'm currently a social worker."  
  
Not a whole lie. She was social and she was a worker. Social - Worker. See?  
  
"And you want to be in the military."  
  
"I've worked with veterans before. They're stories are exciting."  
  
Not a lie either. Skinner was a veteran. And she once over heard him tell an exciting story. She was just bending the truth a little bit.  
  
"I see. It is an exciting occupation." He held the door open for her. He led her down some hallways and pointed to places of interest. She wasn't paying attention though. Aside from knowing when to go "Yes", "Really", "I didn't know that", and "OH", she was really looking for a filing room.  
  
Finally her tour ended.  
  
"If you have any more questions. Don't hesitate to call."  
  
"I won't. Thank you very much for the tour. I'm definetly taking this feild into consideration. Goodbye."  
  
"Goodbye."  
  
He walked off.  
  
She breathed a sigh of relief. She looked around, and then picked a lock on one of the doors. Finally in, she locked it again. SHe didn't leave a scratch on the picked lock, and you'd never known she'd entered.  
  
She looked around. She started with the "A" cabinet. Nothing on aliens. Finally she reached the "R" Cabinet. "Roswell" folder had a huge stack of papers. She sifted threw it carefull, photographing each page. Then she put the files back in their proper places, but she caught herself. She looked over a random name, so she could atleast have someone to look up should she need information. Getting a man's name, she left the room with no sign she'd ever been there. 


	2. Over the river, and into the headquarter...

Disclaimer: Same as before. *Sigh*  
Half an hour later she was home, uploading her photos to her laptop and enlargening each file. Once they were printed out, she settled on her bed and read diligently. It was some time before Scully, or anyone else, realized she was home. Scully knocked on the door and entered.  
  
"Anything?"  
  
Federico looked up.  
  
"No....except......"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I photographed each page of interest I found. I've enlargened them to size on the screen, and printed them out. Now, I'm missing.....4 pages."  
  
"Maybe they didn't load, or there's an error you made while enlargening."  
  
"No. It's not that. I didn't pay to much attention when I photographed the pages, but under one account of Roswell, I do recall going from page 4 to page 8."  
  
"Maybe they were out of order?"  
  
Federico conducted a search of her files.  
  
"No. they're not. They've been taken. Odd."  
  
"Who's account were they? Maybe we can contact he or she."  
  
"Um.....It's a C.G.B. Spender."  
  
Scully looked at her. Then she flipped the laptop to face her and stared wildly.  
  
"What? Scully! Please! You're scaring me!"  
  
"C.G.B. Spender is Cigarette Smoking Man."  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
"The conspirorator with the aliens."  
  
"Yes. Of course, Skinner told me all about him......Wait. Oh, I get it. HE'S C.G.B. Spender."  
  
Scully nodded.  
  
"Guess we won't be contacting him, eh?"  
  
"Eh."  
  
Federico sighed. There was no way to solve this problem. They were pretty much at a stand still. Where could they go from here?  
  
Scully jumped up. "Hey! It's believed they're headquarters are in NY, right?"  
  
Federico thought a second, then nodded.  
  
Scully sighed then landed on the bed again. "Nevermind. We could never get in. Smoking Man knows who we are. Ah, well."  
  
Federico frowned. "He doesn't know me."  
  
Scully looked at her.  
  
"He doesn't. He doesn't know I'm working with you, or that I'm with the FBI, he's probably never even heard of me! I can go in!"  
  
"How?"  
  
"I could tell them you've got information he'll need. You know what he knows. You think I'm on your side, but I'll work for the aliens to save my skin. That's it...."  
  
Scully shook her head. "Too risky. Besides, they'll catch on."  
  
"Maybe not.....You can be my eyes and ears....or visa versa....whatever. The Gunmen....think they'd mind rigging an audio and visual camera inside a pen?"  
  
"We could ask...."  
  
"Great. I'd like to meet them anyhow."  
  
"That can be arranged." Scully said, stifling a laugh. If only she knew.  
  
"Great."  
  
"I'll call them.....but they are in Washington....."  
  
"Darn."  
  
"But we may be needing their help anyway...."  
  
Federico leaped out of her skin as she turned to face Mulder who was standing in their doorway.  
  
"Mulder! Don't sneak up on us like that!"  
  
"My apologies. But I couldn't help use your computer....We may be able to access military and FBI information seen only by high personnel with the help of a little hacking."  
  
"And how do we accomplish that?"  
  
"Lone Gunmen. They can take a flight up and give us some of their hacking insight."  
  
"I don't think I can accommodate three more people...."  
  
"No problem. I'll book a room at a hotel somewhere around here. Charge it to the Beauro."  
  
Scully smirked. The next evaluation of the X-Files would be mighty interesting once they spend all this money.  
  
"If you think that's best...." Federico began, but Mulder had already headed out of the room to make a call.  
  
Federico turned her attention back to her computer screen. Maybe if she was able to get into that headquarters thing, they'd have something to go on. At the moment all they had were a couple of military files that meant near to nothing without a way of gathering more information. Research and spying seemed to be the key to this investigation, and if they wanted to be done with this by Christmas, they'd have to get a move on. Not that they had a deadline, but they all silently agreed to finish before the holidays. If that was humanly possible.  
  
Scully had been searching around on Federico's computer for the screens that monitored area 51. After some time, she came across them, and looked intently for a good hour. She zoomed in on frames, 'rewound", replayed, paused, froze, saved, fast forwarded to present, typed yup a series of observations. Maddening as it was when at 7 that night she turned up with nothing, she had to admit she was having fun. This was perhaps her first case where she got to stay at a partner's home, have home-cooked meals each night, free of charge. She and Mulder did plan on giving something towards groceries, but other than that, they had no bills. It was like a vacation mixed in with a little bit of homework. She could go for this type of assignment more often. She should give herself a pat on the back for coming up with such and ingenious idea and she would have to thank Skinner for sending a partner who had a family that liked to cook to work with. This would really prove fun. She lay back on Federico's bed to savor the moment, but got a rude shock when she had to jump up because her "pillow" was hissing at her.  
  
At about 8:00 that evening, after the family and 2 guests had finished dinner, Mulder mentioned quietly to Federico and Scully that the Gunmen would be here within two days time, with a pen that video-ed both in front and back.  
  
"What do you need it for, anyway, Federico?"  
  
"I plan on sneaking into the conspirorators headquarters, under the premise that I am working with you, but that I really will feed the conspirators our "information" to save my own hide when it comes time for colonization."  
  
Mulder was a little surprised. "Good plan, but not only will they catch on the minute you say hello, but you're putting yourself at risk here. I really don't know about this."  
  
"I know it's a risk that does come with this career. But you guys will be monitoring my through that pen. It will be over my ear, and no ones gonna suspect anything, as long as this little guy is made properly, you hear? .....Excuse the pun." Federico smiled slightly.  
  
Mulder glanced at Scully. He couldn't quite read her.  
  
Scully wasn't too pleased with this idea. She didn't want to let Federico put herself in danger....but it would forward the case. Even if she doesn't like the idea and is dreadfully worried, she decided to let Federico do what was necessary. That is, provided its okay with Mulder.  
  
Mulder was unsure of Scully's thoughts. "Scully?"  
  
"I don't like the idea," she sighed. "But if this is what Federico feels she needs to do, it's okay with me, as long as you're alright with the idea."  
  
Federico turned her head to face Mulder. He hated when this final step of decision making was laid on him. Not that it was very often, but all the same he didn't like it. A special agent's safety always comes first. As Federico's partner, he and Scully had a certain duty to watch out for Federico, as Federico did for them.  
  
"It's Federico's decision." he admitted.  
  
"It's settled then isn't it." She said victoriously. She was obviously very pleased with herself.  
  
"Hey! It's snowing!" Mrs. Federico and Mr. Federico ran to the door, soon followed by 3 FBI agents. Backing away to let the trio from D.C. see the sight, Mr. & Mrs. Federico retreated into the house after sometime. Federico followed in suit, and soon emerged with Mrs. Sivbodi.  
  
"We've got choir practice till nine. We'll be home then!" She said, closing the door.  
  
Scully walked back into the house, followed by Mulder. The rest of the family had gone to the computer room or upstairs.  
  
"It must be nice, coming home most of the time to home-cooked meals."  
  
"Getting sentimental, Scully?"  
  
Scully gave a slight smile. "She still has a home life. A good deal of her investigations bring her to NYC. With her family. Skinner mentioned he sometimes wonders if she rigs those cases to be purposely put on her desk."  
  
Mulder got off the couch, and took a look at the pictures on the wall. He laughed at some of the ones form when Federico was 5 and 6, and frowned as he flipped through the photo album, in which anything taken of Federico was of her pouring over a textbook.  
  
"Didn't she have life in college?" he asked out loud. Scully peeked at the picture he was looking at.  
  
"I guess that doctored of hers took more than the average....."  
  
"Doctared?"Mulder asked, shoving the book back in its place.  
  
"Yeah. She went to graduate school and got her masters in chemistry, and her doctored in molecular biology. Then she even took 2 years worth of med school in 12 months."  
  
"Umm....Wow?" Mulder said, shocked out of his wits. "That could explain all that textbook studying."  
  
Scully nodded. She glanced up at the time. "Wow. Quarter to nine. I think I'm gonna take a walk up to the church and meet her to walk home."  
  
Mulder picked up their coats. "I'll tag along."  
  
They headed up the block, trudging through the snow, somewhat amazed at this little place in New York. Evidently, New Yorkers were given a bad wrap, for everyone she had come in contact with had been more than hospitable. Well, almost everyone. There was that airport officer......  
  
SCully opened the Church door, and she and Mulder took their seats in a pew. The choir was evidently preparing for Christmas. The mixed-match of high school soprano girls, women altos, and male tenors/bases sang a beautiful harmony of the Ukrainian Christmas carol, "Carol of the Bells." She picked up the pamphlet about the choir. Apparently there was also a choristers program for the grade school kids who always preformed with the "adult choir" of equal quality.  
  
The music director, Mr.Carmona, dismissed his choir. Scully and Mulder gave a round of applause and walked over.  
  
"Hi ya', guys! How long've'you been here?....oh! Mr. Carmona, these are my partners, Special Agent Mulder and Special Agent Scully."  
  
"Pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry, I've got to run. I'm afraid my wife is waiting in the car *Rolls eyes*. Nice meeting you. Good bye." He smiled.  
  
Federico picked up her coat and threw it on. "My grandmother's riding home with her friend Mrs.Gugen. I figured I'd walk awhile to enjoy the snow."  
  
They walked out the door after Federico had lighted two candles, and began walking home.  
  
"I love the snow."  
  
Scully gave a weak smile as she was thinking. "My father was in the military. We tended to move around, and we actually spent a nice amount of time in the Southwest, so only some of my childhood and adolescence had snow."  
  
"I was always around snow." Mulder said, forgetting that you were supposed to walk BEHIND the ladies and not in FRONT of them. "My sister, Samantha, and I used to clobber each other. My parents would stand in the window while we threw snowballs at them. I almost broke the window one time with a snowball that, unbeknownst to me, had ice in it." He said kicking some twig. There was moment of silence. Mulder was thinking about Samantha, but for once he was happy as he thought of how she never quite let him live that instance down.  
  
Scully needed to break the silence. She took a handful of snow from a bush and looked at it. She packed into a neat ball, throwing the ball and catching it again several times, while smiling mischievously at Federico. She thought a second. Then she drew back, and fired the ball at Mulder point blank.  
  
"HEY!" He said, spinning around. He pulled ran to a car and threw on back at Scully. Federico aimed for Mulder, who ducked behind the car, just as the snowball hit it. The alarm went off, and the trio ran like the dickens.  
  
Panting back at the house, Federico was still laughing. "You don't seem like the type to initiate a snowball fight."  
  
"First time for everything." SCully said, dishing out Christmas cookies.  
  
The next morning at breakfast, Mr. Federico's father entered the dining room. "I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL! A SNOWBALL FIGHT TO THE DEATH!"  
  
Mulder jumped up, nearly upsetting his plate of scrambled eggs. "I ACCEPT! I'LL SEE YOU AT 13 HUNDRED HOURS, SOLDIER!"  
  
AT 1:00, the trio was building a fort. Federico was making "ammunition," while Scully worked on the fort, and Mulder was cursing why he had to get stuck with these two.  
  
"Sheesh! I haven't been in a snow ball fight since the twelfth break, so give me a break!" Federico shouted.  
  
"NEITHER HAVE I!!!!!" screamed Scully.  
  
"But all you have to do is pack snow, and you two can't even do that. SCULLY! DON'T!----------" Mulder said, too late. He stared at Scully who was lying in a heap on top of their collapsed fort. "You leaned on a weak spot."  
  
"You never said we couldn't lean."  
  
"But it's common sense to not lean on a spot the has peek-holes in it. Because those spots are WEAK!" He said, helping her up. Then he banished her to making ammunition with Federico while he fixed the fort, for the fourth time.  
  
Finally, it was time for the declaration of war. All that was necessary was for Mulder and Mr. Federico to scream "WAR" and then the snowballs commenced. It went back and forth, the ruthless fighting. The FBI team eventually ran out of snowballs, and Federico reduced to using pieces of their fort for ammunition, much to Mulder's disapproval. While charging at his opponents fort, getting as close in proximity as he was allowed before launching his "secret weapon," his cell phone rang. He turned his back on the offender's fort, and answered his phone.  
  
"MULDER!!!! WATCH OUT!!!!" screamed Scully. Mulder jumped over and hid behind the fort. Several minutes later he ended the call.  
  
"That was Frohike. They're at the air port and I promised them a ride."  
  
Federico and Scully looked at each other.  
  
"Should we stay, or ask for a rain cheque?" Federico asked a traumatized Scully.  
  
"A rain cheque." she answered without hesitation.  
  
Mulder put his key in the ignition, and cranked up the heat.  
  
"Federico? You'll have to direct me. I don't exactly know how to get to LaGuardia." He admitted.  
  
Half way into the ride, the CD player blazed "Run, Run Rudolph!" by Chuck Berry.  
  
"Mulder. You play this every year. You know I hate it. Please....." Scully pleaded. But Mulder ignored her, and went on singing his favorite Christmas song, and dancing. He even went so far as to zig-zag the car in time to the music down a one way street! Scully reached to turn it off, but found herself slapped by Federico.  
  
"Not you too....." She muttered horrified.  
  
At the airport, Federico looked around, trying to guess which were the Lone Gunmen while they stood at the gate, with signs. From left to right, Mulder carried "Frohike," Scully "Langly," and Federico "Byers," all of them wearing deadpan expressions, which made quite a sight. Federico assumed they'd all be in suits, considering they were to be computer experts, and at least one of them worked for the government. Needless to say, she was quite shocked when she actually saw them.  
  
Mulder spotted them first. "FROHIKE! LANGLY! BYERS! OVER HERE!"  
  
Federico concentrated hard on not letting her eyebrows fly at the site of the Gunmen. And she thought she and her partners were a crazy match!  
  
"Mulder. It's good to see you." Byers said cordially. "Scully," he nodded, "And....Federico? We were told there was another agent on the assignment. Pleasure to meet you."  
  
Federico smiled, and reasoned with "Likewise." At least she was half correct since Byers was wearing a suit, even if he was the only one.  
  
Mulder suddenly caught himself and jolted to introductions. "Eh, Frohike, Langly. This is Agent Federico. Federico. Frohike and Langly."  
  
Federico stifled a laugh. "Nice to meet you."  
  
Scully felt hysterics rising in her. She knew exactly what Federico was thinking.  
  
So did Mulder, and to keep any mishaps from happening, he addressed a new topic. "Eh, why don't we get you set up in your hotel rooms? I booked a boarding house for you in Flushing. They needed someone to take the rooms, and with it being charged to the Beuaro, you're all taken care of. Eh, the car's this way."  
  
It was a tight fit in the car. Mulder and Byers sat up front, while Langly, Frohike, Scully and Federico were pushed in the back. It was obvious Scully was in mortal agony. She was sitting next to Frohike.  
  
"Oh. Federico." Langly said, fidgeting, causing groans in the car. "I have that pen thing. Though what you using it for, I don't know....." He said, reaching over Frohike and Scully to hand the pen to Federico. Then he rummaged through his baggage, and pulled out a lap top, bringing up the screen that related to the pen, and causing less room than ever in the car."  
  
Federico admired the handiwork. "It's perfect. Thanks."  
  
"What are you using it for?" Byers asked.  
  
"Gonna sneak into the conspirators headquarters," Federico responded, matter-of-a-factly.  
  
"What?" Byers was evidently surprised.  
  
"Yeah. I'm gonna pretend that I have info. as to what Mulder and Scully know. That they think I'm working for them, but that I'll really conspire with the aliens to save my skin. I'm hopin' I'll be left in the room long enough to steal a couple of files."  
  
"How about all the files?" Frohike said sarcastically.  
  
"That's risky." Byers said flatly.  
  
"Yeah. I know. But we're at a standstill. Sides you'll be monitoring. The pen films in front of me and behind me. See?" She said, putting the pen behind her ear causally." They'll never suspect a thing. And we'll have information before they know what hit them."  
  
Langly grunted. "Or they'll have you before you know what hit you."  
  
Federico paused. "We did take that into account. But I feel this is necessary if this case is to continue to progress."  
  
Mulder gave a short, dry laugh. "Continue to progress? I ask you what we've found out at all!"  
  
Federico gave a slight roll of her eyes, then began to stare out the window, until Run Run Rudolph came back on. Then everyone but Scully was having a good item.  
  
When they reached the boarding house, they helped the Gunmen settle in, while they fought over who gets the bed near the window. Or, to rephrase that, while Frohike and Langly fought over it. Byers didn't care either way. He settled for the bed in between. Yup. They were stuck sharing a single room with 3 beds.  
  
Once it was settled (and, yes, Langly, won.), they began to prepare for the daring plan.  
  
"So, I'll take the train. You'll monitor everyone around me. I'll get info. and kinda wing it. Then I'll leave."  
  
Frohike thought a minute. "Good."  
  
"Good luck, Soldier." Federico and Mulder saluted each other.  
  
Federico was near quaking as she stepped onto the 7 train at the L up the boulevard. She couldn't believe she was really doing this. Sure, it was good in theory. Yeah, she could get good information. Provided everything goes smoothly. Maybe the train would get stuck somewhere, and she wouldn't be able to get to the headquarters. Yeah. That was it. She heard a buzzing in her ear. Langly was turning on the little audio device, so that she could hear them. It was a little earing like machine, completely hidden by masses of hair anyway.  
  
The Doors opened. She stepped outside, and climbed the stairs. She was on 34th street. "Where to...." She said as if to herself, although it was meant for the crew back at the boarding house.  
  
"Just up the block." Came Langly's voice.  
  
"Right...." Federico barely breathed. She braced herself, then using her best acting skills, she stepped inside the building, rode the elevator and stopped outside the door.  
  
"Here goes nothing." She rang the bell. Nothing. Could she have missed them?  
  
Smoking man opened. She heard loud grunts from her backup crew in her ear, as she smiled pleasantly.  
  
"Pleasure to meet you sir. You may not know me. Allow me to introduce myself. Jacinta Federico. I have information important to you."  
  
"You have the wrong place." Smoking man said closing the door. Federico stuck her foot inside.  
  
"I know I have the right place," she paused, then emphasized her next words, "Mr. Spender."  
  
Smoking man paused, then opened the door for her to enter. The Backup team cheered.  
  
Federico smiled pleasantly at each conspirorator in turn.  
  
"Have a seat." Said that English guy. "I'll call him Fred" she decided.  
  
"I have information" She said again. "I'm supposed to be helping Mulder and Scully. But I would rather help you, and save my own hides for colonization."  
  
"Your acting skills are wonderful," Mulder hissed in her ear, "But a little too convincing for my tastes."  
  
Smoking Man eyed her, as did Fred.  
  
"You still have your gun?" Langly asked, reassuringly. (Note: Sarcasm)  
  
"And why should we believe you?"  
  
"What have you got to loose for not believing me? Assuming I was on Mulder and Scully's side-"  
  
"And when you assume, you make an-"  
  
"MULDER!" Scully rang in her ear.  
  
"-I'd wind up leading you to them anyway, you can kill us all off."  
  
"Federico. You're a nice girl, but I'm having second thoughts on trusting you." Mulder said, but she could hear he was smiling.  
  
The conspiraoators departed to talk, then returned half an hour later.  
  
"Right. What do you know?"  
  
"Not much yet." Federico lied, completely unconvincingly.  
  
"Tell them we know about.....we know their latest interactions." Scully pleaded.  
  
She quickly added, "Except that they know about your latest dealings with the invading aliens."  
  
"Federico. Your digging your grave here.....And Scully's helping you." Byers said, but suddenly he changed his voice. "I don't believe it," he said as a wave of panic and fear spread across the room of now mumbling conspirators. Even smoking man looked uncomfortable.  
  
"How?" he asked.  
  
"I'm not sure. I found it in their files."  
  
"Where are they?"  
  
"Chicago." Federico said, maintaining her voice.  
  
Smoking man nodded. "As long as their off track."  
  
"Not in Chicago." Mulder wrote that down, thinking out loud.  
  
"Here are the keys to the apartment. Come in any time necessary. We won't be here between 8 at night and 9 the next day. But you can come any time after that."  
  
"Thank you. I'll contact you when I have more information."  
  
Federico got up, and processed calmly to the subway. Then to the boarding house, then to the room. Then everyone was screaming, Federico panting, Byers scolding, Frohike making comments about two-timing rats, Langly about the ingenious of his techniqual abilities, Mulder about what to do for extra protection now, and Scully muttering encouraging things.  
  
"I feel woozy." Federico said in a lull, then ran to the bathroom where a toilet bowl was flushed.  
  
"Frohike? Do you have air-freshener?" Mulder asked watching the bathroom, but was reprimanded by a slap from Scully.  
  
Scully, Federico, and Mulder took a taxi home (they couldn't afford to be seen on the subway while in "Chicago."). For the better part of the trip, they were silent. After all, now that she was lying her way through this, she would not only have access to information, but she would also be a target once her cover was blown. They had to make sure it wasn't. Ever......  
  
Federico was in better spirits at dinner. She was pretending that nothing ever happened. She's given the conspirorators a P.O. box number rather than her home address to ensure her and her family's safety. Now she just had to act normal.  
  
The agents never let on to what they had just accomplished. All they said when they went back to the Gunmen's room that night was that they had some FBI business.  
  
Federico waited impatiently as Frohike undid all the locks they had secured on the door. She rolled her eyes once she was in, and counted a total of 12 locks while she set up her equipment. She was going back to the headquarters. If she was caught, she'd simply say that they never said whether they meant she could come after 8 or nine.  
  
Federico smiled, took a deep breath, saluted her crew, then left for the subway. She rode the 20 minute ride, "reading a newspaper" (Langly said its very boring to watch the inside of a train car for 20 minutes, and could she please get some reading material.). A clicking sound went through her ear as Byers turned on the audio equipment. Then she received the first order of the night.  
  
"Turn the page? I'm done with that article." Langly said impatiently.  
  
"No can do.." said Federico. "This is my stop." She got off the train and frowned at the 34th street sign. She walked up the steps, entered the building, took the elevator and whipped out her key.  
  
It was pitch black inside the room, but she couldn't turn any lights on. First, she went through each room, each closet, everything, and made sure no one was there. Then, she hunted down security cameras in every place imaginable, including looking for any bugs. Two hours later she prepared for the real work. She put on a pair of gloves, and took out a tiny flashlight.  
  
"Where do we go first?" She asked the crew.  
  
"Start with "A" work to "Z"."  
  
"Mulder! That'll take all night! They must have hundred of files here! Thousands even!" Federico harshly coughed into the night.  
  
"Then start with the most conspicuous cabinet. 'R.' " He said.  
  
Federico opened the cabinet, and quickly read off the titles. She opened the next r cabinet and skimmed through that too.  
  
"Roswell, 1944." She said victoriously.  
  
She opened the case files. She was silent for sometime.  
  
"You guys seeing what I'm seeing?" She said at last, almost giddy.  
  
The crew looked at the screen, but all they saw was a wall.  
  
"No." sighed Byers.  
  
Federico frowned, and adjusted the pen over her ear. "Now?"  
  
"Better. Much. Wait. What am I looking at, Federico?" Scully commented.  
  
On the computer screen they could see Federico pointing to a specific section.  
  
" ' The events and resulting consultations resulted in a mutual agreement with the aliens. In exchange for our help in their process of colonization, they promised us we and our families would be safe. The records were stored in our newly founded headquarters, and preparations went underway immediately. Colonization was imminent.' " Scully read off aloud  
  
"Now the author...."Federico said again, adjusting the pen.  
  
"C.G.B. Spender. " Mulder acknowledged, evidently intrigued.  
  
Federico nodded. Scully (who was looking at the 'nodding' computer screen) felt she was gonna be sick.  
  
"Federico! Stop moving your head so much!"  
  
"Sorry." She mumbled apologetically. She pocketed the folder, then moved on to the next folder....and the next....then the other one.....and.....  
  
"Why don't we try the 'C' cabinet?" she finally asked.  
  
" C?" asked Mulder.  
  
"Yeah. For colonization."  
  
Everyone but Scully burst out laughing, but Federico rummaged through the c- section anyway. "Eat your heart out, Mulder." she declared.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Look. It's all about colonization..Just one problem......It's encoded."  
  
"Cool! I love it when that happens!" Frohike burst out.  
  
Federico pocketed that folder, too. Then she moved on through all the 'R', 'C', 'A' (for aliens), and 'E' for extraterrestrial folders.  
  
"Nothing." She sighed at 12.  
  
"Why don't you head back?" Langly said. For the past two hours he was the only one still awake.  
  
"Sounds good." Federico said simply, then turned to leave. She locked the door behind her, put on her hat and left the building after swiping the lobby's security camera by telling the guard it was part of an investigation, and she headed for the train.  
  
"You shouldn't have lied to the guard. He's onto you." Langly said. Federico needed to keep him talking to keep him from sleeping. She still needed somebody to monitor her till she, Mulder, and Scully were home.  
  
"I did not lie! It was only half a lie!" She muttered into the newspaper. She wondered what the people around her thought her IQ was a she spoke to the front page (with a picture of George Bush on it) for half an hour.  
  
"You lied." Langly insisted.  
  
"I would never lie. I unwillingly engage in a campaign of misinformation." Federico quoted Mulder.  
  
"Who gave you a right to quote that line?"  
  
"I did."  
  
"Who died and made you Queen of the World?"  
  
"Queen of the Universe, lowly subject!"  
  
"Shut-up. It wasn't a very good comeback anyway."  
  
"Like yours was any better!" She nearly screamed at Bush.  
  
"Mine was loads better!"  
  
"Oh, yeah. 'Who died and made you queen of the world?' " Federico mocked, doing a squeaky voice that could have shattered glass.  
  
"Shut-up."  
  
"That the best you can do? Tongue-tied are we?" A man passed by and gave her a queer look.  
  
"Did you see that Langly????" she said once the man passed her.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"See what problems you cause me?"  
  
"Problems! If I were talking to a picture of George Bush, I'd have certain problems too!"  
  
"If you were here right now, I'd slug ya'."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
There was a pause.  
  
"Wanna coffee? I'm gonna stop at Dunkin Donuts." She went inside and stopped at the counter.  
  
"Hazelnut for me.....oh, Scully woke up, she wants a French Vanilla....wait....scratch that.....she's asleep again....no,no, wait....MAN! She's talkin' in her sleep!"  
  
"LANGLY!!!!!!!!!"  
  
The sweet Indian women behind the camera jumped about ten feet back..  
  
"One Hazelnut."  
  
"One Hazelnut and one French Vanilla, please." She told the lady.  
  
"I told you Scully was asleep!"  
  
"That French Vanilla's for me, Dodo-brain."  
  
The Indian women gave her a questioning look.  
  
"Not, you, ma'am...." she "turned" back to Langly. "Anything else?"  
  
"Eh.....2 vanilla filings....."  
  
"2?"  
  
"Yeah. Frohike's up. *Thinks back to Scully incident* At least, I'm pretty sure he is. Frohike?" Langly called in the distance.  
  
"And two-What was it Langly?-Two vanilla creams.....and 2...ah, heck. give me 2 vanilla creams, 2 boston creams, 2 pink frosting.....2 Bavarian....two of those chocolate do-dads....two glazed....oooo...what's that?....and eh.....two uh.....ah darn it.....two of those "Christmas" donuts." She gave the lady her money and walked outside.  
  
"WOOOEEE!!!! Did you see how much that cost?"  
  
"Hey! I didn't tell you to get a dozen donuts and 2 coffees!"  
  
"Not saying you did. Although you never did tell me if Frohike was asleep."  
  
"I meant to tell ya. He was."  
  
"LANGLY!"  
  
Federico wandered up the stairs and banged on the door of the Gunmen apartment. Langly didn't hesitate to open it. Federico promised to rip his head off if he didn't snap to it. She got crabby when she was tired.  
  
"Mornin'." She said dully as she walked past Langly and dropped the files lamely on his desk.  
  
"The second files for you to decode. Knock yourself out. I'll be by in the mornin'." She said, shaking Scully (On the floor) and Mulder (Asleep at the window sill) awake.  
  
The next morning, Federico didn't wake up until 12. She barely climbed downstairs, where Mr.Svibodi had prepared two fried eggs with bacon, hash browns and toast. She got her coffee, and greeted her fellow agents. She smiled.  
  
"I'm afraid I don't remember. How'd it go last night?" Mulder asked between bites.  
  
"Good." Federico barely said. "Got some files.......Only the two you were there for. Then I stopped at Dunkin' Donuts, and a feud with Langly, found out that Scully and Frohike Talk In their sleep, and conked out."  
  
"I do not talk in my sleep."  
  
"How were things at your end?" Federico asked, completely ignoring indignant Scully.  
  
"Nothing interesting." Mulder admitted flatly. "I told the Gunmen we'd be by this afternoon, as long as somebody gets up."  
  
"Hey. YOU two slept while I....well......read files in a dangerous location for hours."  
  
Mulder rolled his eyes. It wasn't that dangerous, he lied to himself.  
  
Federico dressed quickly, and the three rode back to the gunmen's apartment in silence. (Two of the three were sleeping.)  
  
Federico pounded on the door. Inside, two very sleepy gunmen tossed over and barely opened their eyes. The third was currently busy. To say the least.  
  
Federico pounded again. Finally Langly managed to get over to the door.  
  
After cursing the locks, Federico meandered to the computer. Scully plopped herself down. "Whatchya' got?" she asked drowsily.  
  
"Not much." Byers admitted, sitting up in bed. "Pardon our appearance. Frohike and I were up late last night meddling with that file."  
  
"What we do have," Frohike said from within the covers, "is just going to enrage, upset, ruin, and depress you."  
  
Mulder paused to think. "Sounds like it's in my line of work."  
  
Scully frowned, then turned her attention to the computer screen. "What's that?"  
  
"That," Byers said jumping up, "is our decoder. Has every documented language in it. Unfortunately. Well, our findings haven't been productive."  
  
"What he means to say," Frohike muffled from within the bed, "Is that we found nothing. There is no language to match that code."  
  
Mulder nodded, then walked to the window, where he stared wistfully out it. "No language." He repeated questioningly.  
  
"That's right." Byers said.  
  
Mulder nodded again. Then he crashed his head against the wall unit really hard.  
  
"MULDER!" Scully sat him down in a chair. "Your gonna give yourself a concussion!"  
  
Federico sat at the computer. "You know, I've made my own poor-man's languages before."  
  
Mulder listened from his chair, where he sat applying a cold compress to his forehead.  
  
"Yeah.....Look. You match up all the letters of the alphabet with another letter. Then you write out what you wanna say regularly, and then you match each letter up. For example, if "A" was "V", "C" was "L" and "T" was "K", then "CAT" would be spelt, and pronounced, "LVT".....what if that's what's going on here?"  
  
"But we have no way of knowing what their combinations are." Mulder muttered.  
  
"There are 26 letters.....that's a possible 26 letters for each letter......What's 26 X 26?"  
  
Federico pulled up the computer's calculator. "676."  
  
"Well....think you can program those combinations into the file?" Scully asked.  
  
"It'll take time. Maybe a week." Byers said.  
  
"A week?"  
  
"Yeah. This is a govt. decoder we're not supposed to even have access to. We'll have to find out the code for the decoder first. Then find out what code they use for programming."  
  
"IS it worth it?" Federico asked.  
  
Scully paused. Mulder jumped on it. "Yes. Get to work. What else was in that other file?"  
  
Frohike shrugged under his sheets. "Fluff." He muttered.  
  
Still holding the washcloth to his head (he'd managed to give himself a lump approximately the size of New Jersey), Mulder strode over to the desk and picked up the folder. He began reading the files.  
  
"I'm telling you its fluff, Mulder." Frohike repeated.  
  
"How do you even know he's gone over to read the files?" Federico demanded.  
  
"Cause I'm good at knowing people's footsteps, and I heard him walk over their to the desk and pick up the folder." HE made a crude gesture under the sheets to his ear. "Good hearing." If they could have seen him, they'd have seen him smile.  
  
"Can you hear him read, too?" Federico asked facetiously.  
  
Frohike glared, though his face being covered, it didn't have much of an effect. It was doubtful anyone even noticed it.  
  
"I don't know if this is just fluff, guys." Mulder said quietly to his files.  
  
Scully got that concerned look over her face. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I think you need to read in between the lines on this one." He nodded.  
  
"What?"  
  
"They mention something....well, here, read this."  
  
" 'They were transported to the base code-named the Apple. At a laboratory, experiments on the dead were done, although the survivors disapproved. The survivors finally forbade us to continue, but our efforts had given us the answers we had wanted. In December, across the way from a large tree, residents of the area became suspicious when they noticed body-sacks being cremated. We assured them it was just old material, but the damage was done. Once the bodies were burned, and the aliens had assumed human identities, our experimental files were transferred to a base in Empire, in the State department of the Building. However-' " Scully was cut off by Mulder.  
  
"That's all. Do you see anything?"  
  
"No." She said flatly.  
  
"NO!? Look! The base code-named 'Apple'? THE BIG APPLE!!!!!" He shouted waving his arms like mad. "NEW YORK! December plus BIG TREE!? Rockefeller! The files went to base EMPIRE in the STATE department in the BUILDING!!!!! The EMPIRE STATE BUILDING!"  
  
Federico was curled up in a little mass on her chair. Mulder, she decided, was quite scary when excited.  
  
"Mulder? You're paranoid."  
  
"Something besides the bleeding obvious, Sculls."  
  
Scully cringed. He made the fatal "Sculls" mistake again.  
  
"It's Scull-EE. Scull-EEEE. And where do you? Where?" She turned around exasperated to her best-her only- audience. "I don't believe him. I don't-" She ran from the room.  
  
"Gotta go. You work on that decoder. Good luck!" Then she added sarcastically as she closed the door, "Don't forget to lock the door!"  
  
"HARHAR!" came Frohike's muffled laugh as Federico tumbled down the stairs to catch up.  
  
"Mulder! Wait! Mulder!" Scully caught him just barely by the shoulder. "Where do you think your going?" Federico panted at her side.  
  
"To the Empire State Building." HE remarked.  
  
Scully rolled her eyes and sighed. "Mulder. You're not going to get in." She whined. "I mean. It's broad day light. You'll be stopped. You'll get us all killed."  
  
Mulder sighed. "You're right, Sculls." He paused.  
  
"Scullee. ScullEE." She muttered.  
  
"Your right." He repeated, but headed for his car anyway.  
  
"Mulder! M-Mulder!" The two women chased after him.  
  
"Where ARE you going!? I thought we agreed that your plan was illogical!"  
  
"Oh, I never said that!" Mulder laughed, jumping into the car, and turning the ignition on. The two women, scrambled to get inside.  
  
"Then where the heck do you THINK your GOING!?!?"  
  
"We agreed it was risky. As for where I'm going." He paused briefly, to turn on "Run, Run Rudolph" to add insult to injury. "Well. *Shrugs* I'm goin' to the State Department!" He stepped on the pedal (putting the pedal to the metal! harhar!) and they went skidding towards Manhattan, singing "Run, Run Rudolph" ALL the way.  
  
"You know, If these aliens oversaw A.I. They'd be wise on something."  
  
"What's that?" frowned Federico.  
  
"New York City is off-limits. Its MAN-hattan." HE smiled.  
  
"MULDER!!" 


	3. Catching On

Disclaimer: Read before's.  
  
Note: Review? Perty Please?  
They drove up to the parking lot nearest The Empire State Building. Sitting in the car, no one took the initiative to get out. Finally, after about 20 minutes, Mulder got out of the car, while the others followed. Up the stairs, into the lobby, flashing FBI badges and demanding to know where this State Department was that no one ever knew existed inside the Empire State Building.  
  
"The one I can't tell you about?" Asked the guard suspiciously.  
  
"Yeah." Responded Mulder.  
  
"Up the stairs, down the hall, to your left, second door."  
  
"Thanks." Blinked Federico. What was HIS IQ?  
  
Running into the hallway, Mulder pulled out a handydandy wire, and began picking the lock. He eventually got it open, after several....mild.....incidents with unsuspecting bystanders, and the three went in, tearing through filling cabinets as they went along.  
  
"Hey! They've got an issue of THE LONEGUNMEN!" Federico exclaimed at the front desk.  
  
"COOL! LEMME SEE!" Shouted Mulder.  
  
"Now There's a conspiracy." Muttered Scully.  
  
"Shut-up." Said Mulder.  
  
"I didn't say anything."  
  
"Liar! AND DON'T give me ANY of that Mulder quoting NONESENSE! I can do it. You can't, so get used to it." Retorted Federico.  
  
They went on quietly rummaging for sometime. "What are we looking for exactly?" Federico questioned.  
  
"Anything that may help us." Was Mulder's only answer.  
  
They searched for a great deal of time. Finally, Scully came over to Mulder with a stack of Roswell files, several of which mentioned something about the Pentagon and Area 51.  
  
"It'd be nice if we could get into Area 51."  
  
"Yeah. But let's start with areas closer to home." Mulder paused, as the three skimmed the pile.  
  
"Not very much about New York." Federico admitted.  
  
"Look here." Scully leaned over Mulder's shoulder. "Three....No......four times....I counted five, that's nine.....And Federico has....one....two.......9......The Pentagon level 4 clearance has been mentioned 18 times. Think it may be important?"  
  
Mulder remained silent. He was looking at a file about witnesses accounts on the event. There was no Mrs......Mrs.....Mrs, eh....Mrs. Thing.  
  
HE jumped up and went to the K cabinet. He found a list of residents in Roswell at the time.........Mrs. Kyqtwyz.......No. She wasn't there. Why? Where would she have been? She claimed to be there.......  
  
"They know our assignment." He suddenly exclaimed. "Mrs. What's-her-name- dooowwwn-soooooooouth" he exaggerated, "Wasn't in Roswell at the time of the crash. She claimed to have been but she........" HE paused. "She knows you think that she's been sworn to secrecy. But why would she be thrown to confuse us? Why not give us a false tip?"  
  
Federico listened. Scully was quiet. "Federico might have another mission today." She said quietly.  
  
An hour later she pounded on The Gunmen's door. "Equipment." She said mechanically, and her usual earing device and pen were handed to her.  
  
"What's going on?" Asked Frohike, who she was told just got out of bed.  
  
"Mulder and Scully are staying at the Empire State Building to research more. But we found out that someone who gave us information that claimed to be in Roswell at the time off the crash, wasn't."  
  
"I'll need you guys to monitor me like a hawk. I'm not a good actress, and I have to ask them for information they don't need to give me. It's going to be unconvincing, and one of you has to be ready to dial Mulder or Scully at all times. If it seems like they're getting suspicious......." She sighed. ".....Use the brain that was givin'' to ya'' to figure it out." She left without saying much more.  
  
Frohike stationed his cell phone next to him, already on, with Mulder's number ready to dial, as Langly set up the cameras on the computer. Byers was busy getting a system worked up to enhance the visual status form a good 90% to a full 100%.  
  
"You got visual?" She asked into the Newspaper.  
  
"And audio." Came Byers immediate response. He sounded preoccupied.  
  
"Everything all right?"  
  
"Yeah.....Yeah...." Byers was infact having some difficulties rerouting power to the efficiency of the visual, and a slight power drain had made everything go black temporarily. But, they didn't want to alarm her. They were trying to use their brains, something Byers said they hadn't used too much of lately. They thought that letting her think everything was spiff would help increase her security and assurance, and thus her performance.  
  
Byers breathes in relief when he saw a visual of 34th Street. "We've got visual." He said to himself, as if he didn't quite believe it.  
  
"Byers?"  
  
"Nothing. Keep going, Federico."  
  
Federico proceeded up the stairs. She knocked on the door and cordially smiled at the Smoking Man.  
  
"Good day."" She said" almost too pleasantly to the conspirators.  
  
"Little less perky, Federico."  
  
"Please. Have a seat." Waved the Englishmen, Federico had so kindly dubbed "Fred."  
  
"Thank you." The camera took a slight dip as she sat down.  
  
"What can we do for you?"  
  
"They've got something up their sleeves.....something we don't know." Langly suggested.  
  
If Federico could of, she'd have told them telepathically to relax.  
  
"I found out that Scully and Mulder spoke to some lady in Arizona. About Roswell. Only, she wasn't there at the time. If I'm to mislead them, I need to know about this decoy."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"They don't give a break do they?" Asked Frohike.  
  
"I want to make sure they go totally opposite."  
  
There was a slight exchange of glances as she said that.  
  
"She was a ploy. Old enough, but not a resident." Smoking Man admitted hesitantly, lighting up a Morley. "We found out that they were going there."  
  
Federico did all she could to maintain a steady almost uninterested voice.  
  
"How?"  
  
"People in the FBI, aren't always what they seem. Some...." He paused, almost testing Federico, "Like yourself......" he emphasized. "Would rather save their own skins than maintain their loyalties."  
  
"I'll try and accept that as not being an insult?" She said. She was either bad at acting on demand, or she momentarily lost her temper, as the conspirators presumably wanted, ands was truly vexed.  
  
"Federico. If you want to be convincing, lay off the remarks."  
  
Shut-up Frohike.  
  
Smoking Man gave a short amused cough. "Not an insult. None intended. But, not everyone is as clean cut as you think. You are very naive to the true corrupt people in high positions in the FBI."  
  
"I can't imagine....who...."  
  
"I don't think you could. They too are good actors. But they are very high up.......Something like....Section chiefs."  
  
Federico nodded. Gunmen? You taking notes?  
  
"In exchange for our good information.......Would you care to explain something for us?"  
  
Federico's heart leaped. As did Byers'. And Frohike's. Langly's just sat there and waited to press "SEND" on the pre-dialed cell phone.  
  
"Of course." She said happily, not even hesitating. "What can I do for you?"  
  
"For security reasons, we put little cameras in in the lobby, doorways, fans, ceilings. We found this." HE clicked on a small television of Federico slipping into the office and cursing at her small flashlight. You never saw her face, but her hair and gestures gave her away.  
  
She watched, dead-pan. "Do you know who broke in?"  
  
"We were hoping you could tell us." The man with the raspy voice said. LAgnly dubbed him "Simon."  
  
"Hmmm.....Play back frame 42?"  
  
Byers almost laughed. Her playing dumb was so obvious....but in that sense, he was a little anxious.  
  
A perturbed Simon played back the tape.  
  
"I wish I knew. The length of the hair is too long for Scully. The build is definatly feminine. P'raps I can run a match with the FBI database?"  
  
"If you know, you shouldn't be playing dumb."  
  
"I wish I did know-"  
  
"-Gracefully imply your leaving." Hissed Byers.  
  
"-Unforutnalyt, I don't. May I take the tape to run through the FBI database?" she articulated slowly and more clearly.  
  
Simon rocked back, drew a breath, then handed her the tape.  
  
"Can we expect to see you tomorrow?"  
  
"NO!" "YES!" "NO!" "DON'T LISTEN TO BYERS!!!! HE'S AN IDEOT!" "LANG:Y'S BEEN AN IDEOT LONGER!"  
  
The Gunmen's advice nearly knocked Federico's balance off.  
  
"Can't. Puttin' up the Christmas Tree Tomorrow. How's about.....Oh, Sunday's no good, I have choir.......Day after tomorrow?"  
  
Fred was a little confused at this sudden calendar check.  
  
"That'll be fine. We will see you then." Smoking Man said, cutting off Simon.  
  
Federico smiled again, then turned to leave, and ran back to The Gunmen's where she collapsed. IF the Gunmen had placed a bug in the headquarters, they would have have seen seen Simon turn to the others after Federico left and say "She's not to be trusted." 


	4. An Assassin?

Disclaimer: Sheesh. All of the above. I DO NOT OWN. Whoever does, does. Blah. And that's it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Federico splashed her face with cold water several times, then sat down heavily in a little red chair in a corner by the window. She wasn't sure what to do at the moment. Her cover had become as useless as any document they'd found. Byers brought in a little plate of cold cuts, and the Gunmen and she ate a quick meal. Afterwards, Federico continued to stare out the window, hoping everything'd turn out right and that they'd taken her seriously. LAngly was flopped back on his bed reading some newspaper. Byers sat by door, reading some novel, and Frohike was working on decoding that file, in between pacing the floor and hitting the monitor at random.  
  
Almost two hours earlier, Mulder and Scully were left alone digging through files. Federico had just left, and they now had nearly twice the amount of work to do. Scully for one was having no luck. She poured over files, while giving medical insight to different descriptions Mulder found. All in all, it was pretty cut and dry. There was nothing of interest in that office.  
  
Mulder felt pretty much the same way. Aside from occasionally finding a large word that neither of them knew what it meant and then getting to look it up in the dictionary, there was nothing to help them, nothing to hint at anything. Heck, at this point he'd settle for an encrypted message. That'd how desperate he was.  
  
Scully stood against a filing cabinet, her papers balanced on its top, reading only half aware of the words that flew past her eyes. She finally turned a page to find a description, and rough sketches of several organs, none of which registered in her mental-medical database.  
  
"Mulder." She said barely turning around, still reading. "Look at this."  
  
"Okay....I see a bunch of kidney-shaped things, and a description that reads nothing but medical gobbledygook. What am I looking at? Scully?"  
  
"You're looking at what would appear to be alien anatomy."  
  
"That's a laugh Scull-" He almost said 'Sculls'. "Scully. Particularly coming from YOU."  
  
"I'm serious. None of these organs....or....or descriptions meet anything that remotely has to do with human physiology."  
  
"Animal?"  
  
"I doubt it. They would have organs, and muscle tissue relatively similar to our own....These...descriptions....these....autopsies....there is no mention of muscle tissue whatsoever." She sounded vaguely surprised.  
  
She flipped over the file again. There wasn't even a title to identify it. She pocketed it quietly, and thought for a little while.  
  
"It mentioned the Pentagon again." She mentioned about five minutes later. She hadn't moved, and Mulder was bent over several files that had more to do with hoof-and-mouth disease than anything else alien.  
  
Mulder looked up. He didn't say anything, but his simple gesture in itself was a question. Scully walked slowly over to the desk Mulder was hunched over. She was frowning.  
  
"Several times they mentioned the Level 4 clearance, in the same sentence as cells. You...." She paused, barely wanting to remember the trying time. "You once went in their filing room. You found....the chip, that put my cancer in remission."  
  
"That we think put your cancer into remission. That's right."  
  
"Could there have been....storage for tissue....or....cellular matter....." It was more like a statement than a question.  
  
"YEah. Yeah. I don't see why not. Why?"  
  
"This here mentions something again about the experiments run on it..." She shook her head. "The aliens I mean. Apparently, an autopsy wasn't the only process preformed. Judging by the way the scooch around the topic of cellular composition, I'd say they kept cells....or...."  
  
"Bodies."  
  
Scully raised her eyebrows.  
  
"I saw bodies. I don't know if I ever told you. A whole room. Of, alien bodies."  
  
Scully straightened up. "Could there have been that many victims of the crash?"  
  
"It's possible. But if we're gonna sneak into the Pentagon, we're gonna be needing a lot more work. We don't have a way to get in. I mean, we'd even need Level 4 clearance cards and the assumed Identity of the Department of Defense officer."  
  
Scully leaned backwards. Well. That didn't sound too difficult. With the Lone Gunmen's help.  
  
"I wonder how Federico's doing?"  
  
Federico barely walked into her house that evening. She'd been saw shaken from the realization of her cover being blown, she'd stared out the window for nearly an hour. She could only hope Mulder and Scully had been more successful than her. She was greeted by Scully at her front door.  
  
"We're locked out." Mulder nearly shouted down the block.  
  
"You're folks are gone, and we don't have the keys." Scully hurriedly explained, getting up from the stoop as Federico opened the door.  
  
"What's wrong?" Scully asked, toppling over on Mrs. Svibodi's couch.  
  
"My cover's gone."  
  
"What?"  
  
"They have me on film. Breaking in. I put on an act. and their gonna meet with me day after tomorrow. I don' know what to say."  
  
Scully was silent, while Mulder pet Gwendy for sometime. He was never too fond of cats, but Gwendy was friendly to him, so he at least needed to repay the gift.  
  
"Well. Um. Maybe they will take your story as truth. After all, your supposed to believe in the lie." Mulder said.  
  
Federico grunted. "How was your search?"  
  
"Okay. We found this document." Scully handed Federico a document out of her bag, and Federico read it quickly.  
  
"This doesn't make sense. This isn't human physiology. Or animal. I have a degree in Zoology and this is no animal."  
  
"I know. And look at the way they avoid mentioning cells. It leads me to suspect their purposely hiding something. I think they took samples of alien cells, and according to Mulder, entire bodies, to the Pentagon filing/storage room."  
  
"But in order to get in, we're gonna need a Level 4 clearance card, and the pass of someone who works their."  
  
Federico nodded. She got up and walked into the kitchen, breaking into an Enteman's marshmallow cake. She took a serving about 6 times the size of the proper portion, and she relished in its goodness, trying to forget this entire scenario. She smiled as she put her dish away, and returned to the living room.  
  
"I was hoping to go back to night."  
  
"To the empire State Building?"  
  
"No. Actually, Scully, I was thinking more like the =e headquarters."  
  
"You've gotta be off your rocker." Mulder said. Actually, she was. She had literally fallen of her rocking chair as Mulder pushed passed her and the coffee table.  
  
She gave him an amused look.  
  
"Shut-up."  
  
"I know it's crazy. But....its could be helpful."  
  
"No. Not for us, but rather yourself, don't go."  
  
Federico eyed Scully. She needed to check something. She had an idea. Something that could help them gain access to the headquarters once her cover was completely gone.  
  
"I know."  
  
Scully assumed that meant it was settled. And she dropped the subject.  
  
Frohike on the other hand, was tapping mindlessly at the computer. Another message reading "Not applicable" appeared. And another. And another. And another. Then, finally, something clicked in the computer's mechanism., The letter "e" was actually the representative of "A." A little progress was made. The broadest smile ever known to Frohike was across his face. All who saw it were stunned. Byers was scared. Langly didn't know he could smile.  
  
"What are you doing now, Doo-hike?"  
  
"Frohike."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"A has officially registered as e."  
  
Langly was so deep in his writing for the next LONEGUNMEN edition he barely remembered the encrypted file.  
  
"Sounds great, Frohike."  
  
Byers rolled his, and shot over like a jet to see the progress on the computer."  
  
"Then let's register all the a's in this little bit of literature as e's."  
  
Frohike typed in several commands. Every a became an e.  
  
Frohike studied the screen, then proceeded to type what commands he knew to decode the letter "b."  
  
Error. Not applicable. Not applicable, Error. Would you like to spell check? Error. Run Scan disk. File done. Not applicable. Not applicable. Invalid command. Invalid command. Not applicable. Not Applicable. Not applicable. Not Applicable.  
  
At about 11:00 that night, there was a light knock at the door. Frohike was over-joyed at the distraction, thrilled that he needn't gaze at the uncooperative screen any longer.  
  
He unlocked the door. 12 times. In stepped Federico. With a hesitant look on her face. She seemed to barely notice him. He had to finally call her attention back with the word "Picard."  
  
"Where?" She suddenly snapped.  
  
"Had to see if you were alive."  
  
Federico laughed. "Well that's one way to do it. You really had my hoped up there."  
  
"Trekkie?" Langly asked amused from his perch.  
  
"Die-heart!" She proclaimed, giving the "Live-Long-And-Prosper" sign. "Actually. Just for Star Trek: The Next Generation."  
  
LAngly was very happy. Out of the 3 Trekkie-Lone Gunmen, he was the trekkie- est of them all. Then Byers. Frohike was floating somewhere between.  
  
"Ever seen Inner-Light?"  
  
"Seen 'em all. Have 'em all on tape, including movies."  
  
"Nice! I personally like Worf."  
  
Federico shook her head. "Data."  
  
"Troi." Frohike smiled. Federico ignored him.  
  
"What brings you here so late?" Byers asked, ignoring the Star Trek talk.  
  
"Right. Eh. I wanna sneak into the headquarters again."  
  
"Files?"  
  
"Not quite this time. I more or less wanna plant a bug."  
  
Langly leaned over into his night-stand draw, and pulled out a handy-dandy little guy about the size of a pencil point.  
  
"Have a whole collection of them"  
  
"I'll keep that in mind." She said, catching a purse full.  
  
"Where's Mulder and Scully?" Byers asked handing Federico her equipment.  
  
"Thanks. Eh....Mulder and Scully who?" She gave a weak smile, then relented. "They don't actually know that I'm going. They think it's a little too risky and have in effect forbidden me from going."  
  
"I think that's a wise precaution." Byers commented, almost to himself.  
  
"And you're going against the wishes?" Chimed in Langly.  
  
"That's right. I think it'd be helpful to take what may very well be my last opportunity to plant a bug in the headquarters. If we can do that, we can still perhaps monitor the conspirarators after my cover is blown. Not that I hope it will be. But I of course have no guarantees."  
  
"Comes with the FBI badge."  
  
"S'pose you COULD say that Byers."  
  
Federico attached the equipment quickly, and Frohike switched on the speakers.  
  
"How's that?" He asked. The act of hearing his voice both inside her ear and in front of her made Federico a little dizzy.  
  
"Fine." She lied.  
  
She felt like she was gonna collapse in a little nauseous heap on the floor.  
  
Byers sat up. "We only need one person to monitor this. You two catch some sleep." He half-expected a protest.  
  
There was a silence. "Okay." Frohike shrugged. "Night."  
  
Byers was horrified at their inconsideration.  
  
"I'll be back in a few hours."  
  
Half way there she began to wonder what would become of this case should she be completely discovered. This may very well also be her last opportunity to snoop. P'raps she could take advantage of that? She couldn't think straight at the moment. The gunmen were arguing, and the audio devices picked up every word. It made her feel a little woozy, much like trying to walk across a tight-rope in 100 degree heat with a fever and a sore throat. That was a pretty darn-good analogy she decided. She was better at analogies than she thought. Now if only she had been that good in school. That would have been helpful. But nnnnooooooooo, it couldn't work out that way because that'd be just too darn-perfect!  
  
SVISH! Door open. Time to jump out. I don't wanna go. Maybe I can miss my stop. Naw, that's not a very good idea, you know that, you should have more sense than that.  
  
Federico jumped off the train, just in time to miss the closing doors. She was quite grateful her shoes didn't get caught.  
  
She marched proudly up 34th Street.  
  
Okay. Last time I will break into this place. Right. Okay. And breathe. WOO! I meant to trip! Shut yaw' mouth, hooligan! Teens these days. My friends and I never laughed when someone tripped down 34th Street and nearly killed themselves. You just don't do that.  
  
Right. THIS is THE building. Okay. Trying to act natural. Hello, Mr. Doorman-sir. Lovely weather we're having. Yes, I'm just here to sneak into a government conspiracy's headquarters. That's right. Ta-ta. Boy, am I stupid when I'm nervous. MEANT TO DO THAT! Darn stair....tripping me like that.....  
  
The key jingled in the lock. For sometime now Byers had been silent. She silently prayed he hadn't fallen asleep too. She slipped inside, gun in hand, and took a look around. No one. She took out the bugs, and pretended to look around on desks, cabinets, pictures, while really slipping the bugs into place. She had to be discreet as she didn't know where THEIR cameras were.  
  
She hesitated sometime later. She was done, but those filing cabinets were still available. It could be her last chance to take a peak. Her last chance. She swallowed and walked up to it.  
  
"Federico! What are you doing?"  
  
"AH, so you ARE awake!" She hissed at Byers into the night.  
  
"I've been awake. What are you- Federico that's not why you went there- Federico, please-if for nothing else for the sake of my sanity-people have gone made because of sleep deprivation-should you decide to keep up this act I could be one of those people too-Federico!"  
  
Federico completely blocked him out. She pulled through the cabinets, ripping through whole files at a time. Nothing. Most things were birth certificates.  
  
"Why Birth certificates?" Byers asked.  
  
"Beats me. Maybe there's a conspiracy among all the old ladies who refuse to give their age."  
  
With nothing accomplished besides bugging the room, Federico left promptly. She had given Byers her equipment, gotten home, and slipped into be in no time at all- and not even once was she noticed. The next day went fair enough. True to her word to the conspirorators, they put up her grandparents' Christmas tree (Though they had yet to put the one up for the upstairs apartment) and decorated the front of the house with multi-colored lights.  
  
"For indoor and outdoor use only. What other place is there?"  
  
"Shut-up and put the lights up Mulder."  
  
"WEll, answer me, Scully. There is no other place besides outside and inside!"  
  
"Maybe the meant to put internally. You know, your organs."  
  
"Uh-uh. That's indoor use."  
  
The lights-both indoors and outdoors- were flicked on at a quarter to 6, and hot chocolate was on the table with an assortment of Christmas cookies before 7. The family and 2 FBI agents watched old movies till 12, when the federal agents went up stairs to bed.  
  
Federico woke up to the light shining through her window.  
  
She rolled over, and nearly fell off the bed onto the floor, where Scully slept on the air-mattress. She caught herself just in time, but not before making a series of "OOUCH! OUCH! OH! NO!" sounds.  
  
"Morning?" Scully asked, not opening her eyes.  
  
"Yup. What are your plans?"  
  
"Sneaking back to the Empire building....Mulder's a-comming. You coming? eh?" she asked only half-awake.  
  
"I've gotta go today to the conspirorators."  
  
"Spiff. What time?"  
  
"It's.......10:20."  
  
"No, what time do you go?"  
  
"Eh....any time, really. After breakfast."  
  
"What is for breakfast?" Mulder smiled happily at the prospect of hot French toast, as he poked his head in the door on his way back from the bathroom.  
  
"Unknown. But how's French toast sound?"  
  
"Oh, fine." Mulder said, walking into the living room. He didn't stop to think until he was long out of sight. "Yessss."  
Knock. Knock.  
  
"Who wants to get that?"  
  
"Not I."  
  
Pause.  
  
KNOCK. KNOCK.  
  
"Fine. I'LL get it."  
  
Cigarette Smoking Man opened up the door.  
  
A small look of surprise spread across his face.  
  
"G'day. I think we agreed today I'd come to meet you?"  
  
He raised his head. "Eh. Yes." He stepped aside.  
  
"G'day." Federico smiled at the conspirorators. They weren't as "friendly" as usual, if you could even call it that.  
  
"Have a seat." Fred said pleasantly. He looked slightly disappointed.  
  
"Thank you." She said, a little uneasy.  
  
"Any news? About Agents Scully and/or Mulder?"  
  
Federico hesitated. "Not much. As far as I know there still in Chicago."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Don't know."  
  
"I find that hard to believe."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because you know there in Chicago in the first place."  
  
"That's all it said in the papers."  
  
"What papers?"  
  
"I only read their mission and location from some papers I saw in their office."  
  
"What were you doing there?"  
  
"Spying."  
  
The conversation came too a halt. Federico was exhausted just from the little bout.  
  
"Why?"  
  
" 'Cause I have nothing better to do with my life."  
  
She smiled.  
  
"I thought we were here to talk. I didn't know I'd be on trial."  
  
Dead-pan faces stared back at her.  
  
"Well? Do I get one call to use to phone my lawyer?" She only was half- joking.  
  
There was an eerie silence. All the assembled members stared at her. She took the opportunity to return the relentless, scrutinizing stared. Intently.  
  
"So," she said slightly annoyed, leaning back in her chair, smiling, and breaking the silence, "Tell me about colonization........There a date set yet."  
  
"January sometime."  
  
"This January?"  
  
"Ms. Federico. It would seem that you were doing all the interrogating lately, wouldn't it?"  
  
"Tit-for-tat. Eh?"  
  
"That's all you've ever done was interrogate. You've not provided one detail of hard evidence."  
  
" 'Cause I have none. Just like you've supplied me with no hard evidence." Cigarette Smoking man was really beginning to get on her nerves.  
  
"Tit-for-tat." He raised his eyebrows in a smirk. He took a breath. "Eh?"  
  
"Now you've the idea."  
  
Silence.  
  
"Ms. Federico. I think it is time that you do supply us with hard evidence. Of, course you may have already. Play it boys."  
  
Click went the VCR. On went Federico walking around the room two nights before.  
  
"Care to explain?"  
  
"Explain what? You appear to have someone that's onto you. Tall. Feminine. Long hair. You already asked me to identify her. Unfortunately she's no where in the FBI, CIA, UN, or NY P.D. databases."  
  
"What were you doing here, Federico?"  
  
Pause.  
  
"Ham it up, girl." Came a suggestion from the Lone Gunmen.  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
"I said, Ham it up, Girl."  
  
Not you!  
  
"What were you doing here?"  
  
Byers stepped into the picture. "You're cornered. Say what you want, it makes no difference."  
  
Thanks.  
  
"Looking' for my grandmother."  
  
"In our filing cabinets?"  
  
"Yeah. She can make herself fit into anything. Can change shape. Like a bounty hunter."  
  
Woo, did I just say that?  
  
"I think I have a right to fair trial, boys. But I see no lawyer, not judge, no jury. And if you dare say you're the judge and the jury, I'll go into spasms from laughter. I wasn't here. I don't think I need to make myself clearer. I have a clone. I'm a twin, and that woman was a long-lost sister. Whoever it was it wasn't me!" Her voice echoed in the motionless room. "And I won't be insulted. I risked my position at the FBI meeting with you. And you dare to question me. It's no skin off my nose, as I can take my business elsewhere, So Good day." She gave a dramatic bow, and removed herself form the room.  
  
She slammed the door for the effect.  
  
Half way up the stairs at the Lone Gunmen's place, she paused and shook her head.  
  
Aloud she muttered, "I feel like I'm in a bad Italian film."  
Mulder and Scully had arrived at the Empire State Building not too long after Federico arrived at the Lone Gunmen's to drop off her equipment before heading off to the headquarters. They didn't quite know what they were looking for, but they needed to find something. Hours later, Mulder received a text-message on his cell phone. "It's Federico."  
  
Federico had slammed the door, and stomped off. The Gunmen's computer froze and they had to re-boot. Cigarette smoking Man turned to the rest of the crew and smiled. "Nice performance." Federico had just left, and the silence in the room that she had left behind her left a powerful effect. "Do we still have Alex's number?"  
Federico unlocked the door to her house, and stepped inside. She was greeted happily by her two kitties, and she was calmed a little by their warm purring. She still couldn't believe what had just happened. It had all been going so well, it was too good to be true. She soon fell asleep on the couch.  
  
When she woke up, she recalled the events. She really didn't want to, but the memories came all the same. She could have cried. She would have too, but she could have sworn she saw movement. She couldn't reach for her gun., and besides, it was empty. It'd be too obvious to whoever was there. Instead she pulled out her cell to "play" a "Game." Instead she sent a text- message to Mulder.  
  
Someone in house. Come quick. Can't approach. Gun not loaded. Use key. Proceed as if nothing happened. Together we'll approach the kitchen. Make it snappy.  
  
Snappy wasn't the word. And it wasn't a snappy amount of time between the time she sent the message came and the time Mulder and Scully arrived. It was almost an hour and a half before she heard the key in her door. She was relieved when she saw Mulder and Scully walk in.  
  
"Hey, guys." She croaked.  
  
"Hi."  
  
"You....eh....wanna make soup?"  
  
Great thinking, Mulder thought.  
  
"Eh. Sure?" Scully asked.  
  
They all pulled out their guns, even though Federico's wasn't loaded, and jumped in front of the dining room oddly. They could barely make out someone's shadow.  
  
"Come out with your hands where we can see them!" Scully shouted. "We're Federal Agents and we're armed."  
  
"Don't shoot."  
  
"Hands where we can see them!"  
  
The man stepped forward.  
  
"What are you doing here, you-"  
  
"Mulder." Federico warned.  
  
"Sid down." He muttered.  
  
"Why you here?"  
  
He remained silent. Or at least until Mulder took the safety-lock off his gun.  
  
"The Smoking Man and his cronies sent me."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Hesitation. That seemed to be a running theme.  
  
"Find the stolen documents. Kill her." He nodded at Federico. She swallowed.  
  
"Protect what she knows. What you all know now."  
  
"Why didn't you just kill her?"  
  
" In case I needed to ask her questions. But she saw me when I came in, and I didn't want her to shoot first."  
  
Federico kept quite about her gun not being loaded.  
  
"Well. Now what should we do with Ratboy, Scully?" 


	5. To kill Ratboy or not to kill Ratboy? Th...

Disclaimer: Blah. MUST I KEEP writing this???? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Scully didn't answer. She really didn't know what to do.  
  
Mulder began taking aim. "I have an idea. I can shoot him."  
  
Two meaningful glances were shot at Mulder-Well, three if you count Krycek's.  
  
Mulder relented and didn't fire after all. But the question about what to do with him remained. They couldn't very well let him go, and murder was against the law. He surely wouldn't speak. Ransom! Wait, that's against the law, too.  
  
Federico was feeling woozy again. She turned her back on Krycek and searched her room for something. She soon returned with handcuffs and clasped Krycek's hands to the light fixture and a metal hook on the ceiling, forcing him to stand on a chair for the time being. Mulder was satisfied. Scully wasn't. They were in a heck of a predicament boy.  
  
They couldn't leave him there. That'd be no good. They could hand him over to Skinner. Skinner. Corruption in FBI. High personnel. Hmmm. Maybe they wouldn't turn him over so quickly.  
  
Federico took up residence on another chair. "So. You must know a lot about corrupt people in the FBI. Care to share?"  
  
Krycek continued to study the cracks in the ceiling.  
  
"That wasn't a question, Krycek."  
  
"Call him 'Ratboy,' it suits him better."  
  
"Share what?"  
  
"About corruption. High up in the FBI? Come now. Don't tell me that you don't know."  
  
Silence. Mulder was getting annoyed and stepped closer. Of course, Krycek didn't notice at all. He was still trying to figure out which cracks looked the most like rabbits.  
  
Federico gave up and let Scully step into the interrogation. Instead, Federico went in the living room, downed two Excedrin, and leaned her pulsating head on the armrest.  
  
"We know that there are people higher up in the FBI that are working with the conspirators. We know you know who they are. And we expect you to tell us. Now/"  
  
Krycek didn't acknowledge the fact the Scully had even spoken. But after sometime, he answered, though he still never quite made eye contact.  
  
"There are people, about A.D. Skinner's head, who know of us, and support us indirectly. They try and debunk your work, and originally sent you to do the dirty work." Pause. "When that didn't work, they found other ways to interfere. It was never Skinner who closed The X-Files. Only Section Chiefs who ordered him. And should the paranormal not have continually popped up, it would never have been reopened. Nor would colonization have taken so long."  
  
"Have? That's a verb in the past tense."  
  
"So you know grammar, Agent Mulder? Its a good thing to know in the FBI, but I never knew you had the skill to master it. That's right. Past tense verb. I used it purposely. Because something is in the past. Use you brain. Take a wild guess as to what."  
  
"Colonization."  
  
"Not completely done yet. But almost under way. In a matter of weeks....maybe months......this planet will be swarming with Human Alien hybrids, and alien bounty hunters. And before you realize, it will be too far ahead to simply turn back."  
  
SCully turned and left for the living room. Mulder made as to kick the chair from underneath Krycek, but thought better and followed Scully.  
  
"What do you think?"  
  
"About what?"  
  
"About this whole thing."  
  
"I don't know Mulder." Federico shook her head.  
  
"I certainly don't like that idea of keeping him here."  
  
"You think I do?"  
  
Mulder rolled his eyes.  
  
"Not saying you do."  
  
"We can't turn him over to Skinner without whoever the person that's over his head knowing what he's doing."  
  
"Yo! Krycek! Who's corrupt anyway? Tell us.." Mulder emphasized.  
  
"If I told you it'd make no difference."  
  
Mulder kicked the chair.  
  
"Deputy Director Kerch!"  
  
Mulder gave Krycek's chair another kick.  
  
"Kerch! He has tabs on our every move."  
  
"Don't we know it too."  
  
"He closed the X-Files 5 times....."Mulder explained.  
  
"Well what are we supposed to do?"  
  
"Keep him captive."  
  
"For the time being we could lock him in your basement."  
  
"That's inhumane, Scully."  
  
"He's a menace to society and we can't afford to keep him balanced on your table."  
  
"Point taken. Krycek! You're being transferred. We have guns on you so don't move...." Even if mine isn't loaded.....Federico added to herself.  
  
"Move." She ordered.  
  
"I can't."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Krycek motioned to his hands.  
  
"Oh. Yeah."  
  
Federico uncuffed him from the light fixture.  
  
"Move."  
  
Krycek moved alright. Although he did feel as though his arms were coming off, but hey, that's better than what he's been through.  
  
Soon enough, his arms were attached to to bookshelves in the basement.  
  
"It'll have to do for now, Krycek." Federico muttered, cuffing him. "Sorry. It'll have to do. I'll see if I can find you better accommodations soon." She repeated.  
  
"Like in a prison."  
  
A meaningful look was shot at Mulder. "As I have no intention of keeping you prisoner." She continued. "We'll be back soon." She slapped Mulder on the wrist and headed up the stairs. A light was kept on for Krycek, and Federico had personally inspected for bugs.  
  
It was a feat keeping your arms up in that position for a good 2 hours straight. Then Federico came down with Scully, uncuffed Krycek, and handed him a tray with a meal. Krcyek was a little wary, and made Federico taste everything first to make sure nothing was poisoned. He was allowed to walk around for a few minutes, was given the option of the treadmill, the knife he stole from the plate was taken back by Scully after another search for a hidden weapon, and he was again cuffed to the desks.  
  
"How long shall I stay here? This is against the law, you know."  
  
"Like what you do isn't? We're figuring out what to do now.," Federico marched back up with Scully.  
  
"So? What do you wanna do with the rat, Ms.-Goody-two-shoes?"  
  
"Well, Mulder......That's an excellent question. Don't s'pose we can email Skinner?"  
  
"I s'pose that none would ever read his mail, even the corrupt one over his head?"  
  
"Won't take that for granted, but what other option have we?"  
  
"Great. Let's get the computer started up now."  
Krycek fumbled. Sure they got my knife, but what they didn't realize was missing was the fork! The fork! Man's perfect escape route!1 Created solely for the wonderful purpose of freeing yourself from tight places, the only improvement required was better grip for your teeth. I mustn't drop it! Should I, I may never escape. A little to the left. Jab it to the right. I'm FREE!!!!! GOODBYE CAPTIVITY, TILL WE MEET AGAIN!!!!  
"I s'pose I should really go check on Krycekl. Give his arms a break. Anyone wanna come? Mulder?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Leave you gun with Scully Mulder." Federico only half joked.  
  
"Fine."  
  
Down the stairs with the key,, Federico prepared to explain to Krycek the latest status. They emailed Skinner and were awaiting a proper response.  
  
"Krycek? Wh-WHERE IS HE!? KRYCEK!!!! KRYCEK!"  
  
Mulder picked up a little note left by the abandoned hand-cuffs and fork.  
  
"C'e'la vie." He quoted. "Rat boy strikes back." A series of primitive grunts came from Mulder.  
  
"He used a fork? He's got more skill than I thought!" Federico was absolutely amazed as she examined the open window.  
  
Grunt. Grunt.  
  
"I mean, yeah, he stole the knife. But A fork?"  
  
Grunt. Grunt.  
  
"Mulder? Would you stop that!? Please! That is most un-" She caught herself. She evidently couldn't say 'lady-like'. "-Gentlemanly."  
  
Mulder gave a final grunt, then took a little walk around. Ratboy gone, no doubt back to Smoking Man, they were in deeper dog-doo than previously suspected.  
Meanwhile, in a little town we like to call D.C., Assistant Director Skinner was filing a report. He needed to check on something, when the "You've Got Mail" reading caught his eye. With the shifty-unsure-glance that we all know so well, he he heaved a sigh and opened his email, forcing the file to wait until later.  
  
Subject:----------------- Password necessary--------  
  
Skinner hesitated, downloaded the file, and typed in his password.  
  
File Done the ever-annoying automated voice chimed.  
  
Sir- News. All's going okay. We've got info. but alien-cronies onto Federico. Long story. Posed as "helper" but they know her identity now. Krycek sent to kill her. We stopped him in time. Said people higher above your head corrupt. Indirectly supported aliens by sending me to debunk work. Have moved onto direct support. Explained you were always ordered to close Files. We have Krycek locked/handcuffed in basement. What do we do?  
  
Send password-locked file response to us. Delete this file from hardrive the moment you finish. Must hurry. Immediately download supplemental file over the hard space used by this one.  
  
-Scully.  
  
Skinner's eyes widened. He deleted the file, and downloaded the other one as instructed.  
  
"YOU'VE GOT MAIL!"  
  
"Corn-blasted." Skinner muttered.  
  
Subject:-------Password-------  
  
Skinner rolled his eyes. An A.D.'s work is never done.  
  
FILE DONE.  
  
Darn the automated voice.  
  
Sir- I'm sorry, but Krycek has escaped. Apparently, he stole the fork from the meal we served him without our knowledge- Woah. They didn't see that? Sheesh. Ideots. -and used it to uncuff himself from my bookshelves. He escaped from the window.  
  
Will keep in touch. Take care.  
  
-Federico.  
  
Skinner didn't know how to reply to that one.  
  
Subject: Response.  
  
Federico, Scully, and Mulder-  
  
Acknowledged. Good luck.  
  
-A.D. Skinner  
"A man of great words." Mulder commented to himself as he shut down the computer.  
  
With all the confusion about her, Scully was still trying to make sense of the darn case that SHE had to come up with. Nothing made sense. None of there files. None of their evidence. Heck, did there evidence even count as evidence? She couldn't quite be sure. She was running on empty, and she was a having a completely blank moment. Actually, she'd been like that for the past 2 hours. Not at all like her. But she digressed. Encrypted files. That spelt nothing. And hey, is it me or does it make no sense that the Gunmen's code-thingy didn't already crack the code? I mean, 26 letters in the alphabet and all they have to do is program it into the thingy, make it combine them every way imaginable in a manner of minutes, and have it tell them when it discovered something in English. So what was the darn problem? A virus? That didn't make sense either. They're hackers. They knew everything about viruses. So what was it? Sheer laziness? Hm. So far, that WAS the most plausible theory, until Scully refilled her fuel and realized that computers were incapable of being lazy. Evil mutants had hacked into their computer screwed up the wires, and ran off to leave them, in their misery. Not bad. But then Scully turned her ignition on and realized that was completely unscientific. She sounded like Mulder. And just for that she slapped Mulder on the wrist without a word before or after.  
  
Mulder blinked. Okay, that was strange. Scully just slapped him. And this time all that he was doing was staring at a really terrible article in the TV Guide. Speaking of terrible, terrible wasn't even the word for this article. I mean, this was just, horrific. There is no word in the English language to even describe it. I mean, yeah. What else was there to say? This was an article about Julia Robert's favorite home-cooked meals. Did he care? No. Did he care if anyone else cared? NO! Turning the page, his mind ran into other things. Ah, finally, a normal, REASONABLE article in the TV guide. About aliens. Flying over Alaska. Little green aliens. Wait. Bad article. They said green. They're not green. They're grey. He only said that about a hundred-thousand times. But why should anyone listen? What does he care if this puny magazine that doesn't even enclose proper descriptions of your shows uses incorrect information. He didn't care if they lied. He for one NEVER lied. He unwillingly engaged in a campaign of misinformation.  
  
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Federico sat with Gwendy purring on her lap. She counted Gwen's cat hairs best she could. Although, she usually lost count around number 684. Then she had to start over because she realized she'd counted a few hairs twice. And she wasn't quite sure how many hairs she counted twice. Nor was she sure whether it was time to start counting moving left, or if she'd already counted the left side of her shoulder blade. And is it necessary to count the hairs on her ears? She hoped not. Ah, well, 1,2,3,4,5,6................  
  
Scully looked up from her files. Subconsciously, she imitated Skinner's shifty glance. Was she the only one concentrating on the case here? Looking around, she decided, yes. 


	6. Encoded Messages, New Information, Rocke...

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything except Jacinta Federico, and her weird family and friends.  
  
Oh, and PLEASE, PPLLEEAASSEE review..((  
  
December 10, 2002. 6:40 P.M.  
  
"Merlder." Mulder groaned, waking up from a deep sleep and answering his phone. He been asleep since 3 that afternoon. Scully and Federico had gone to the NYC Public Library to see what documents they could pull up on Roswell.  
  
"Mulder? It's Byers."  
  
"Hey." Mulder said mindlessly, as he pushed back the lacey curtain of the front door to identify who just rang the bell. Federico's family had gone shopping, and Mr. Federico was at work, leaving Mulder alone in the house, to "Defend the Fort." It was Scully and Federico.  
  
"Forgot my keys!" Federico shouted through the glass.  
  
"Whatchya' got By'rs." Mulder continued, as he unlocked the door, strolled back into the living room and flopped on the couch.  
  
"Not so much me as Langly."  
  
"Oo(h)?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Oo(h)."  
  
"Mulder? Are you okay?"  
  
"Whah? Oh, no. I'm fine. I uh.....just uh..woke up................." He admitted for lack of a better excuse.  
  
"Ah. Well. We found out why our decoder is so useless."  
  
"Yeah. But we can't discuss it over the phone," Frohike broke in using the other line, "We think someone's been tappin' into our equipment. Can you meet us at Rockefeller?" Mulder managed to shake him self awake, as Federico and Scully hung up there coats and sat down with two mugs of hot chocolate.  
  
"Uh. Yeah. Um. What time?"  
  
"Now."  
  
"Sure."  
  
Click.  
  
Darn! They ain't gonna be happy campers!, Mulder thought inwardly as he smiled mischievously outwardly.  
  
"What." Scully demanded unhappily.  
  
"We need to meet Langly, Byers and Frohike at Rockefeller now. They've got news about they're decoder that they don't wanna discuss over the phone."  
  
"Like, now-NOW?" Federico asked.  
  
"Yeah. Now-Now."  
  
Scully heaved a sigh, collected the hot chocolate and dished out their coats again.  
  
They looked out along the stores, but saw no Gunmen. They went nearer the rink, where they saw the trio stick out like sore thumbs. They sat on a bench along the ring for resting ice skaters, looking at a computer. Really, it wasn't suspicious at all.  
  
Mulder had seriously hoped that their FBI badges would have gotten them free admission to the rink itself, but the whole my-contact-is-waiting-for- me-on-a-bench-by-the-rink-and-I-need-to-go-and-see-him thing didn't actually go over very well. In the end, Mulder wound up paying for the three of them, the two women have conveniently left their wallets at home, a near sin in the feminine rules of conduct, which was to be reviewed later once as Mulder had decided to get them to pay him back.  
  
"It's OKAY. I've got you. Easy does it. That's right. Step. And slide. Step. And Slide. There you go. You're getting it."  
  
"WOAH!!!!!!!!EEWWERWRW!!!!!" Strange sound escaped Federico as she clutched Scully for dear life on the ice-skating rink, nearly pulling both Mulder and Scully down with her.  
  
Regaining her balance, Scully proceeded to coach poor Federico.  
  
"I'm not going anywhere."  
  
"She can't unless you actually let go of her and the railing." Mulder whizzed passed them- backwards.  
  
"Show-off. ERSEERWWEE!!!!!"  
  
"Relax! It's okay. Just keep you balance. That's the key."  
  
"One with the skates. Be on with the skates." Mulder taunted, grinning ear- to-ear, as he spun around them impatiently, throwing Federico completely off balance.  
  
"Can I slap him now?" Unfortunately MMulder was out of earshot anyway. "I'd feel safer knowing if I go down you go down too."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"You know what I mean, Scully."  
  
"How do you wanna ensure that? Federico. Oh, no. Wipe that smile off your face. Mulder! Wanna be her new coach?"  
  
Approximately 20 minutes later, Federico and Scully, (and Mulder, although he didn't count since all he did was do annoying spinny things), arrived at the Lone Gunmen's perch.  
  
"Your prisoner, Federico?"Langly eyed the handcuffs Federico had locked herself and Scully into.  
  
"I'll take her prisoner if you don't want her!"  
  
"Shut-up Frohike."  
  
"Pardon, Dana."  
  
"SCully."  
  
"Well, pull up a chair, you two." Byers smiled, and offered his seat.  
  
"Can you unlock me now?"  
  
"Oh, darn it. I think I checked in the key with my purse."  
  
"ALL the way back over there?"  
  
"Yeah. Sorry, Scully."  
  
SIGH.  
  
"I'll just stay here." Mulder smiled. "Unless you want me to come along."  
  
"NO!" Federico would not here of it.  
  
Another 20 minutes later, Scully and Federico had returned, with the handcuffs off.  
  
"Whatchya' got?" Scully smiled at the laptop.  
  
"Instant recap: You may be wondering why the heck our handy-dandy computer decoder ain't loadin' the new letters as fast as you'd hope. After all, the key combinations are simple enough. But not all of these letters are infact letters."  
  
"I'm lost."  
  
"You know that African tribe, that communicates using a series of clicking- sounds, Federico?"  
  
"Uh, yeah. I think they're the Khoisan?"  
  
"That's right. Well, there is evidence that another tribe, the Xhosa, have adopted several of the Khoisan clicking-sounds. For example, Spelt properly Xhosa look like this....." He bent over the computer (pushing Langly aside) and typed something in. " '!Xhosa' "  
  
"That exclamation point represents a click that properly comes before it......."  
  
"Okay. That;s swell, but what are you getting at?"  
  
"This little translator we have searches for whole languages. This document isn't in one language."  
  
"Cut to the chase, Frohike."  
  
"Believe it or not, this is in Khoisan."  
  
"Wait." Federico was confused. "Then the document is in one language."  
  
"Ah, 'tis where your wrong."  
  
Federico pleaded with the only pleading-glare she knew how to give.  
  
"This is in Khoisan. The letters represent in this document symbols, which in turn represent words from the Khoisan language."  
  
"I thought that language was near impossible to document phonetically."  
  
"It is. And we're not talking about a writing system. Sorta. Well."  
  
"You were kinda right when you mentioned make-shift languages." Byers interrupted Frohike.  
  
"Yeah. Whoever did this little bit of work was pretty darn good at keyboard characters and make-shift languages." Langly chimed in .  
  
"What C.G.B. Spender managed to do here was get a native Khoisan speaker, get him to transfer all the words he needed to use in a form of keyboard characters, type em out, then switch those characters around to match up with letter and number combinations." Frohike smiled.  
  
"Spiff." Scully sank into the bench.  
  
"So how do we translate it?" Mulder spat out a sunflower seeds, which unfortunately resulted in its jamming between the "q" and the "w" on Langly's keyboard.  
  
"Darn you're eating habits, Mulder." Langly roared, trying to pry the shell loose without getting tiny bits stuck further into the gear.  
  
"Oh bother." He spat out one more, which in turn got stuck to a Christmas ball on the tree looming over head.  
  
Frohike watched it fly over to the tree as if in slow motion. Time restored to its natural state, he happily pronounced "Bulls eye."  
  
"What we have to do," Byers interjected, "is find the guy who did it."  
  
"Where is this guy?"  
  
"Unknown." He responded to Federico with a sigh. "But chances are he's hanging pretty close too the Smoking man."  
  
"Why's that?" Scully sounded only remotely interested.  
  
"Well, If Smoking man ever had any hopes of reading this document over, he'd have to get this man to translate it. And apparently, he wanted to read pretty recently."  
  
"Oh?" Mulder spat a sunflower seed that took up residence on Frohike's jacket. Mulder pretended not to notice.  
  
"Yeah. Unless you happen to the steal the files," Langly quickly shot a glance at Federico, who pretended to know nothing about the matter, "You've gotta check them out according to Conspirator Policy 101."  
  
"Ah." Sunflower seed skyrockets and gets caught in an innocent passerby's skates.  
  
"What first told you this was even Khoisan?" Scully skeptically inquired. (Big surprise there.)  
  
"There was one little tiny error in their coding." Frohike tapped something into the computer. "To help along the translator, the tail end has something encrypted in German. The words roughly translate to----" Frohike smiled as Scully peered over his shoulder to read. She in turn paid him no heed, and simply read out: "Khoisan proverb?"  
  
"Yeah. Apparently there was a quote in there, one which the idiot who translated this decided to credit in German."  
  
"Could he be that stupid?" Federico reasoned.  
  
"Sure. Look at Doo-hike." Langly smiled.  
  
"Frohike, you moron."  
  
Byers decided this was a good time to step into the picture again." What probably happened was that the guy who translated this did all footnotes in German. But because our decoder only scans for whole languages one page at a time, and that footnote happened to be the only thing on the final page, that was the only footnote that registered."  
  
"So. Who do we go for this?"  
  
"That's pretty tricky." Mulder piped up. "But if this was checked out recently, he could be in the vicinity. Chances are he is an immigrant from Africa, or an African student who learned the language fluently enough to embark on this project while studying in Africa, most likely on an anthropological course on indigenous peoples."  
  
"Psychology buff strikes again." Langly paused to rest his eyes, which were currently burning out of his head.  
  
"So....Lets look through the database...." Langly hacked away a short period later. "Okay. Only two people in this database speak Khoisan. The first is a male living in Quebec.........The second is a lady residing in.........NYC."  
  
"Let's see the address, Langly."  
  
LAngly flew like mad searching. Finally coming across it, Mulder took down the information and frowned.  
  
"Down the village. We might have time to go tonight?"  
  
Federico nonchalantly shrugged, and Scully was busy admiring the pine needles that so gracefully dangled from the tree. A.K.A. she was really bored. Who said hacking was interesting. Whatever the case, Mulder took their silence for a yes.  
  
"Stay here. We'll be back shortly."  
  
"You're gonna cost us money, man. There'll be many a skating session before you get back."  
  
"I'll reimburse y'a, Langly. We'll go as fast as you can. We can. My mind's scrambled."  
  
"It's always been that way Mulder," Scully slyly commented as she brushed past glaring Mulder.  
  
Half an hour later they stood outside the door to Ms.Kahmpii's office.  
  
"Eh....Let me go in guys, okay?"  
  
"Why? You have a plan?"  
  
"Actually, that's a sentence fragment, Scully."  
  
"Mulder, just because Krycek told you that you had good grammar, doesn't mean you should go around correcting everyone else's grammar."  
  
"Scully, it surprises me that you could know so little. I-"  
  
"I'll take that as a yes." Federico took this as her opportunity to go in.  
  
"I-Only do this so that the streets will be a place where one can speak and enjoy conversation the way the English language was meant to be spoken."  
  
"Mulder-"  
  
"Can I help you?" The receptionist looked up at Federico with a smile, and a look that read, you-might-wanna-make-this-snappy-cause-I'm-overworked-and- underpaid-and-my-emploryer's-making-me-work-over-time-tonight-look.  
  
"Ehm....Yes, I'm looking for Ms.Kahmpii?"  
  
"Yes. She's currently busy at the moment, so whom shall I say is calling?"  
  
"Ehm.....Just tell her that a friend of C.G.B. Spender's is calling, it's urgent."  
  
The receptionist smiled.  
  
"Most of the cases we deal with are." The Like-tonight-she-had-to-upgrade- her-new-computer-game-and-that's-the-only-reason-why-I'm-still-here-look was shot over at Federico.  
  
"Just let me know when I can see her. Thanks." She sat down quietly.  
  
Eventually, the door swung open, and the receptionist returned from Ms.Kahmpii's office.  
  
"You can see her now."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
She closed the door behind her. The room was painted a light crimson color, and was adorned with beautiful gilded, bronze book holders, and immense mahogany bookshelves. The desk was of a lovely cherry wood, as were the plush-wine chairs, and the desk had its back to a large window, set off by light golden curtains.  
  
"Hello. Please, have a seat."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"My secretary tells me you're a friend of C.G.B. Spender?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Mhm. And what is your name?"  
  
"Alexia Krycek." She cringed at the thought, though she suppressed it with a smile.  
  
"I see. What can I do for you, Ms. Krycek."  
  
Cringe. CRINGE.  
  
"Mr. Spender asked that you decode these documents?" She handed them to Ms. Kahmpii over the table, trying to act natural.  
  
"Let's take a look," She nodded reassuringly at the files. Several minutes later she added, "Oh. I didn't expect to see these again so soon."  
  
"So there recent?"  
  
"I only translated them several months ago. Tell me, why does Mr. Spender need these?"  
  
"He didn't say. All I know that there is some sort of emergency."  
  
"I'm surprised he didn't come himself. He usualllly does...."  
  
"He couldn't. He's been called out of town, I believe something relating to this crisis has happened."  
  
"Well, where shall I send them to him?"  
  
"I'll bring them. He told me that no one was to know where he was, but that I should take the files personally to him."  
  
"I see. When do you need them by?"  
  
"As soon as possible."  
  
There was a silence.  
  
"Tonight?"  
  
"Tonight! Tomorrow isn't enough time!"  
  
"I know this is incredibly short notice, but this is a matter of utmost importance!"  
  
"Incredibly seems to be an insufficient word!" Then she looked around a moment, and heaved a sigh, saying, "Let's see what we can do...." She turned to face her computer.  
  
Federico amused herself by playing with the hem of her shirt.  
  
"How's it going?" She asked, going behind Ms.Kahmpii to see the screen.  
  
"Excellently. It appears my computer only took a total of 10.10 seconds to start up." She glared over her shoulder.  
  
Federico wandered about the room.  
  
"Anything I can help with?"  
  
"Yes. You can give me some peace and quiet to work, and stop asking your questions at intervals of 10 seconds."  
  
Federico gave an annoyed glance around. She leaned back in her chair and stared at Ms. Kahmpii.  
  
"I'm going to have to ask that you stop staring." She stated not looking away from her computer.  
  
"What else have I to do?"  
  
"Amuse yourself."  
  
"With what?"  
  
"I can't concentrate with you staring."  
  
"You should be able to."  
  
"Ms. Krycek, please find something to do."  
  
"But you said there was nothing."  
  
"I told you to stop asking questions."  
  
"You're the one that started."  
  
"Ms. Krycek, are you finished?"  
  
"But this is amusing."  
  
A glare was shot, and Federico returned it with a sly smile.  
  
"I'll be waiting outside." She said still smiling.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Four hours later, Federico walked outside into the hallway, the decoded documents in her hand.  
  
"Guys? Wake up." She shook Mulder and Scully, who were asleep hunched on the floor, awake.  
  
"You have them?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Let's just hope that The Gunmen are still there." Mulder started for the door.  
"Where are they!?" They'd been skating around the rink forever looking for them.  
  
"EMERPH! EK!"  
  
"I don't know Mulder." They ignored Federico.  
  
"Let's-FEDERICO!!" They went skating to catch Federico who had mastered the step and slide part of skating, but not the brakes section.  
  
Scully grabbed Federico two seconds before she crashed into the railing. The force of the sudden stop caused them to fall.  
  
"I hate the effects of inertia." Scully complained straitening up, and helping Federico to her feet.  
  
"As I was saying, Lets try the front desk."  
  
"Hi. We're looking for-"  
  
"I'm sorry, sir. Buy are you looking for-" The clerk looked at his note, "The Tinmen?"  
  
"The Tin- Yes." Scully smiled and took the note. She managed to read through Langly's horrific handwriting.  
  
" 'Went back. See you later. You owe me 4 periods. -The Lone Gunmen ' "  
  
"To the boardinghouse! Avante'!"  
  
Did Federico never tire?  
  
"Eh, Federico?" Scully interjected, catching her by the shoulder. "How about something called sleep. You and me----"  
  
"----You and I."  
  
Scully pretended not to hear Mulder.  
  
"You and ME have been to the city twice today, and if your gonna say you ain't tired----"  
  
"I ain't gonna say ain't, cause ain't----"  
  
"Ain't in the dictionary, I know that, Mulder." She turned back to Federico. "If your gonna say you ain't tired, I don't believe you."  
  
Federico gave a wry smile and nodded. "Agreed. Little shut eye never hurt anyone."  
  
"You've the idea now. Let's stop an' get some donuts."  
  
"Fine by me!"  
  
"Great. Let's get gain distance between us three and the rink, eh?"  
  
"We three, actually."  
  
"MULDER!"  
Langly frowned at the answering machine and it's blinking lights. The phone had been ringing, but if anyone actually expected him to pick up.......  
  
"HI, this is Federico? I'm calling to speak to The Tinmen. The man at the rink said you had left us a note. Lucky for us, Scully can read Langly's handwriting better than Mulder and I-------------" "ME!" "MULDER! Shut- up!.......Sorry, Tinmen, Mulder's on a grammar kick. We'll drop by in the morning. The files are decoded, and we wanna see what you make of it. Talk soon. Bye."  
Federico hung up and lazily wandered into the living room. She sat down, wrapping a blanket around her tightly. Two sneezing fits later, she asked Mulder to go see if the boiler needed water to be added to it.  
  
"It's full." He reported.  
  
"Then could you raise the heat? Thanks."  
  
"Alright..........But it IS 100 degrees in here."  
  
Federico gave a slight laugh.  
  
"He's right......" Scully admitted. "Are you feeling alright?"  
  
"Little woozies all."  
  
Scully felt her head.  
  
"You're running a temperature. Lay down."  
  
"I'm fine Scully. Real-----"  
  
"Lay down," she insisted more forcefully. With a rolls of her eyes, Federico laid down on the couch.  
  
Scully ran a compress for her, and smiled as she applied it.  
  
"Thanks, Mommy." Federico smiled.  
  
"You're welcome......"  
  
"You'd better stay here tomorrow. Mulder and I are going to take a flight down to D.C. for two days, dig up some info. In the Pentagon. According to those files you got decoded, Pentagon should begin to be our main focus."  
  
Mulder opened his mouth to correct her grammar, but Scully caught him, and he closed his mouth, using his better judgment.  
  
"No. Please, I'll be fine, I'll come."  
  
"No."  
  
"Really----I----"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Ah, let the girl go."  
  
"Mulder! Are you----"  
  
"See he agrees!"  
  
"Who's the doctor here?"  
  
"I----"  
  
"----Mulder!"  
  
"------Never mind."  
  
"-----You're staying home, Federico. And that's all there is too it."  
  
Federico rolled her eyes and sank back.  
  
"Yes, Mommy."  
  
The next morning, Federico was awakened by the sound of her door opening.  
  
"Scully?"  
  
"Sorry. We were trying to sneak out undetected. Our flight's gonna leave. Go back to sleep."  
  
"Call me, guys."  
  
"We will," Mulder assured her.  
  
Federico waved them goodbye as they left. Something was not quite right. Hm. Deja vu of Madeline? 


	7. It's 8 O'ClockDo You Know Where Your Scu...

DISCLAIMER: Same as earlier. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Scully rubbed her face as she walked into the Pentagon. Mulder had gone ahead. They thought it wiser not to be seen walking in together. At 4 that evening, they'd meet in the lobby. Till then, Scully would be in a filing room, searching through some files. Obviously. Mulder would try and follow Langly's hacking tip on a worker's computer. She silently wished them both luck.  
  
Mulder frowned at the computer.  
  
"Blasted thing!" He coughed a little too loudly. He smiled at the lady across the room who was eyeing him narrowly.  
  
"C'mon......C'mon. BLASTED!" He gave the monitor a shove. He reprimanded himself silently for these sudden outbursts.  
  
IN! At long last, the code worked. HE sorted through several records, turning up near to nothing. Then he clicked on SECTION A19122.  
  
Access Denied.  
  
That's what you think! Mulder surprised himself, He sounded like Langly!  
Scully frowned. Nothing. Nothing. What the........? Was someone there?  
Mulder tapped out the cords to his favorite song on the keyboard while he waited for Langly's password to kick in. Whenever that would be.  
Federico stirred uncomfortably on the couch. Reaching for her Star Trek: The Next Generation ringing cell phone, she answered drowsily.  
  
"Lloo?"  
  
"Federico?"  
  
"This is she. Who is this speaking?"  
  
"Federico," the man on the other end sounded exasperated, "It's me, Mulder."  
  
"Oh, hi."  
  
"Scully's missing."  
  
"What?" Federico sat up suddenly.  
  
"Scully is missing! We were supposed to meet in the lobby at 4:00. She's not here. And do you see what time is it?"  
  
Federico rolled over uncomfortably to view to the clock, amazed at Mulder's sudden misusage of grammar.  
  
"Oh my gosh. It's 8."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Could she still be in the building somewhere?"  
  
"No. I did a quick sweep."  
  
"Oh no. Where are you?"  
  
"I'm in the lobby."  
  
"Where are you two staying?"  
  
"Our own respective homes."  
  
"Don't go back. Book yourself a room in Maryland. Book two. I'm gonna book myself a flight down and meet you there."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Oh, Mulder?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Should I alert the Gunmen?"  
  
Mulder hesitated.  
  
"Yeah. Bring em down."  
  
"Book three rooms."  
  
"Three? There'll be five of us."  
  
"The gunmen can share a room."  
  
"Three of them? There'll only be one bed."  
  
"We'll find cots for two of them. Let's worry about that later. Get Out of the Pentagon! Now! But whatever you do, don't act panicked. Bring your information, and leave immediately, and call me when you've got the rooms."  
  
"Right."  
  
Click.  
  
Why did he do that?  
  
She dialed his number.  
  
"Mulder."  
  
"Goodbye, Mulder."  
  
Click.  
She banged on the Gunmen's door.  
  
"Ah. Federico. What's up?" Byers smiled.  
  
"You three, get packed. My car's outside. Hurry. We're goin' to Washington."  
  
"What? Federico?"  
  
"I'll explain on the way. The flight leaves in an hour, I need you down in my car now. Hurry. You've got five minutes."  
  
She ran off.  
  
Byers was a little stunned as he alerted the other gunmen. What had just taken place?  
  
In any event, the three had loaded their suitcases and paid their rent to the landlady in five minutes, and were already well on their way.  
  
"What's this about?"  
  
Byers turned to Federico (driving) next to him.  
  
"Scully's missing."  
  
"What?" The Gunmen asked simultaneously.  
  
"That's what I said. She and Mulder went to the Pentagon and were supposed to meet at a certain time. She never showed. Mulder can't find her."  
  
"Oh my heavens." Byers put his head back.  
  
"What are we gonna do?"  
  
Federico paused.  
  
"I wish I had an answer for that, Langly." She made a sharp right turn, such a turn as deserved a ticket. "Unfortunately, I don't. We'll come up with something once we're there. Mulder's booked us a room, and we'll devise a plan once we're settled in."  
  
"Chances are she's in the Pentagon? Hidden room?" Langly offered.  
  
Federico remained silent and sped through a red light. Byers gripped his head, contemplating whether or not to warn Federico while she was in this disgruntled state that many street lights have cameras on them to catch people such as herself that insist on going head-on into road lights that are supposed to tell you to halt.  
  
He decided it against it.  
  
LaGuardia Airport 10:00 P.M.  
  
Federico stuck 4 passports under the lady's nose at the same time.  
  
"One at a time please."  
  
"I'm in a hurry."  
  
"One at a time please," the lady repeated.  
  
"I don't think you understand," she repeated, this time flashing her FBI badge, "I'm in a hurry."  
  
"One-at-a-time-PLEASE."  
  
At this point, Federico was really wishing homicide wasn't a crime.  
  
"Look." She said leaning across the counter top and looking quite menacingly up at the lady," Just check us in. Stamp the books. Run us through. Stick our luggage on the carasel. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out."  
  
"Miss, I---------"  
  
"WE MAY HAVE AN AGENT DOWN!!!!!" She shouted the last part. Then more quietly, she added, "So either you let us through, or I let loose Disgruntled-Pervert A on you." She said confidentially, so low only she and the lady could hear, and gesturing towards Frohike.  
  
The lady considered her options.  
  
"Gate 22. Down that corridor, miss." She said acknowledging the ticket, with a smile that that was was meant as though she were doing Federico a favor.  
  
"Thanks." Federico snatched the tickets and practically ran down the hallway. The Gunmen were somewhat confused.  
  
"Please excuse her. She's, ehm, a little stressed." Byers smiled slightly and hurried after Langly, Frohike, and prayed that they'd find the Gateway alright, since Federico was now a simple speck on the horizon.  
  
Sitting down in his seat Langly eyes Federico out of the corner of his eye, then exchanged a sideways glance at Frohike. Something had gone terribly wrong with Federico. Up until two hours ago, Federico was your average FBI agent, with a quirky humor. Then, she became a secretive and silent child, quite the opposite of her usually talkative self. Next, she became enraged and easily angered. And now......well, let's just say Langly did NOT want to be stuck sitting next to her.  
  
"I think I'm gonna hurl." Federico moaned doubled over in pain.  
  
"Again?" Frohike complained passing her a paper bag.  
  
"Hey, last time I didn't."  
  
"Right. That was the false alarm." Byers reminded Frohike, Half grinning.  
  
"I wish the first time was a false alarm......."  
  
Even Byers had to laugh as Frohike looked down at this stained shirt. Federico had a little accident earlier.  
  
Langly winced, looking at his arm. What the........?  
  
"Excuse me?" He paused the stewardess.  
  
"Yes?" She asked warily, eyeing his hair.  
  
"Ehm, what is....that?"  
  
"Ehm.....Condensation.........?"  
  
"Riggghhhtttt.....And I'm Joey Ramone."  
  
"Really?" The stewardess mocked sarcastically, then stalked off.  
  
"Ladies and Gentlemen, This is the captain speaking. Opps.....Uh.......We're have a little trouble with the air ventilation system. We will be turning around. We are sorry for the inconvenience. Over and out."  
  
"I wanna be sedated........,"Federico sang quietly.  
Half an hour later they sat in the Gate trying to sort out the problem. Rather, the Gunmen were sitting, Federico took took to arguing with the lady who refused to give them a transfer flight.  
  
"Give it a rest, Federico." Frohike called.  
  
If she hadn't already snapped at them twice, she would have told him to shut-up. Instead, she sighed, gave the lady a menacing glare, than plopped down beside the Gunmen.  
  
Turning her head, she faced another gate.  
  
"Guys? Did you check in any luggage?"  
  
"No.....,"Byers said, glancing at the others before answering.  
  
"Neither did I." She never took her eyes off the other gate, but got up and walked over. They could see her flash her badge, then turn and motion them to follow.  
  
"Some people are sympathetic to our cause." She smiled at them, waved to the lady at the counter, then headed for the gate.  
Jopiebay Inn 4:00 A.M.  
  
Federico knocked on Mulder's hotel room door lamely, then tumbled in when he opened it.  
  
Frohike looked around the place. Not bad. Not bad. Apparently it didn't cost much either?  
  
Mulder showed them to their own respective rooms.  
  
Wait. Where was his room? Frohike turned to face Mulder, who promptly cleared his throat.  
  
"There are two cots in the closets, boys."  
  
Three stares focused on him.  
  
"Not my fault. You blame her."  
  
They shifted to her.  
  
"Just be happy that we don't have 5 rooms charged to the Bearuo instead of 3." She plopped on Mulder's bed.  
  
"Where do we start?" She asked.  
  
"Pentagon tomorrow morning."  
  
"You mean today, Mulder."  
  
At 7:00 that morning, before heading out, Mulder approached Federico and Byers privately.  
  
"I managed to get hold of these." He handed each of them a long, slender piece of metal. Byers's eyes widened, and he quickly hid it in his jacket. Federico fiddled with it, clicked something, and jumped back as a 10 inch long blade threatened to cut her nose off.  
  
"Woah. Is this some sort of new device to try and kill someone?" She joked.  
  
"Actually.....," Mulder began, "You know bounty hunters?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Use this to stab them at the base of their neck, right about here," He indicated on Byers, "It must be precise, and quick. Don't remove it. Leave it."  
  
"How do I know----"  
  
"You won't."  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Keep it hidden. No one is to know you have it. Only I, Byers, Langly and Frohike know you have this. Anyone else who indicates it......umm.....may not be us." HE looked aside.  
  
She put it away quickly.  
  
"We'll be at our place. We wanna run some tests on those files Mulder downloaded."  
  
"Right. We'll be here tonight. I wouldn't stay at your place too long. Unless....."  
  
"We'll be fine. We'll see you around." The Gunmen nodded and walked off. 


	8. Moldy Mulder Misses Meeting

DISCLAIMER: Same. Same.. **************************************************************************** ***  
  
In the car, outside the Pentagon, Mulder paused.  
  
"Let's keep together."  
  
"Agreed."  
  
"If we should get separated, we'll meet in the lobby no later than 4:00 P.M."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Don't call anyone one your cell phone. Nor answer it should it read as my number."  
  
"But--"  
  
"It could be a trick if we are separated."  
  
Federico lifted her head. She got the idea.  
  
Opening the car doors, they stepped out and entered the Pentagon. Mulder indicated to go down a hallway. He swiped a card through a door. Federico followed him down a corridor, amazed. They turned into a hallway, where Mulder swiped his card yet again, allowing them to enter a cabinet way.  
  
"How'd you do that?" She asked when she was sure they were alone.  
  
"I, uh. I stole a Pentagon worker's identity a few years ago, I never returned his card."  
  
"You did WHAT!?"  
  
"You take that book case, I'll take this one." He changed the subject a little too hurriedly.  
  
Federico eyed Mulder doubtfully. There had to be hundred if not thousands of book cases.  
  
She pulled apart files and tore through crate after crate. She pulled out several runny samples of what were labeled "cells." She studied capsules that contained metal chips, and pocketed everything of interest. Two hours later, she'd barely made a dent of the first two crates on the very top shelf of her first bookcase.  
  
Mulder came across several things of interest, and sitting down on his ladder, he studied files, capsules and several samples of "tissue."  
  
"Got somethin' for ya'." He tossed a capsule over the top of his bookcase, and Federico made a leap for it like she's never seen herself do.  
  
"Pure ballet." Mulder teased as he watched over the rim.  
  
Federico rubbed her shoulder. "What is it?"  
  
"It appears to be a sample of E.B.E. tissue, wrapped in a carefully diagramed container."  
  
"E.B.E.?" She asked, seating herself on the top of her ladder again.  
  
"Yeah," He disappeared over the edge once he was satisfied. "Extraterrestrial Biological Entity."  
  
Federico rolled her eyes.  
  
"Stop that."  
  
"Stop what?"  
  
"I've been around Scully long enough to know that you're rolling your eyes right about now."  
  
"Oh, boy."  
  
She turned her attention back to the crate before her, but not before stealing a glance at the sample Mulder had just tossed her. It seemed to be more liquid than solid, and she resented it. Apparently, she was to run tests on this. She sighed, and put it in her trench coat, the apparent trademark of the F.B.I.  
  
Mulder was getting pretty quick and running his hands over the files, quickly identifying which files were needed and which weren't. Too good, maybe, he wondered. He laughed in spite of himself, getting a curious silence from Federico who was constantly talking to herself. "Not important," he called, and she resumed her mumbling. Another laughed escaped him. Federico paused presently, but soon resumed.  
  
"Eh, Mulder!" She called victoriously jumping from her dangerously high perch.  
  
"Mulder?" She called rounding the bend to his side of the book case. "Where are you?" She looked around and laughed. "Come on. Tell me Scotty beamed you up." She smiled, slapping her papers against her side. The lovely article about E.B.E. (She was always happy to use new vocabulary words)cellular tissue and technology nearly dropped from her side as she ran over to Mulder's ladder, where, beneath it, lay his papers.  
  
"Mulder." She let out in a hushed whisper. She backed against the book case, nearly tipping over a crate. She yelped in spite of herself, and ran wildly trying to find him.  
  
"Mulder! Mulder! Mulder! Mulder!" She sounded like a broken record. She almost reached for her stiletto, but thought better. She ran right into a door, and wanted to scream, though nothing would come out. Instead, she turned her back to it, and slinked down the front. She'd ran headlong into E.B.E. ville, all stretched out neatly in an operating facility adjacent to their filing room, with there large, staring eyes, and terrifyingly out of proportion heads. She panted, but managed to get to her feet, took one last look and ran past to the front door. "Mulder," she breathed.  
  
She ran to her car, and sat at the wheel waiting for the car to get going. Staring her in the face, was a bug. Who knows who was watching on the other end. She smashed it promptly. "Oh, my gosh...." She moaned. She started the car and drove off.  
Jopiebay Inn December 22, 2002. 10:40 P.M.  
  
POUND. POUND. POUND. POUND.  
  
"You wanna get it."  
  
"No."  
  
POUND! POUND!  
  
"You sure? Who ever is out there-"Pound Pound-" Doesn't seem to wanna get up."  
  
"I'm SURE,Frohike! And shush, Byers is asleep, and when he's woken up he has a tendency to snore."  
  
"Do not."  
  
"Thought you were unconscious, Byers."  
  
"Best not to assume, Langly."  
  
POUND! POUND! POUND-POUND! POUND-POUND-POUND-POUND-POUND-POUND!  
  
"That's it I'm getting it."  
  
"Frohike! It's probably a serial killer. No one else bangs on doors at this time of night. Frohike!"  
  
"I'll check through the looking-glass and make sure he didn't bring his weapon first." The door swung open. "Oh, yeah, real serial killer guys."  
  
Langly pushed his glasses on.  
  
"Federico?" Byers was a little surprised. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Frohike." She acknowledged brushing past him. She tore open draws, searched wildly lamps and doors.  
  
"IS he here!?" She screamed.  
  
"Is who here?" Byers demanded.  
  
"Mulder! Is her here!"  
  
"Mulder? No, why would he?"  
  
Federico slumped into a chair in front of a computer.  
  
"My heavens, he isn't here." She moaned. She looked up into three very concerned faces. "Mulder and I went to the Pentagon today," she rambled frantically. She was shaking, and could barely catch her breathe. "We were going through filing cabinets, not the ones he and Scully already searched. And we agreed to stay in the same room. Should we get separated, we were to meet in the lobby no later than 4 P.M. I found some information, ands went to give it to him. He wasn't there. But papers were on the floor. I know they were his. I searched, all I found were E.B.E's in an operational facility. I ran to the car, and there was a bug. I crushed it. Oh, I waited inside, too. For hours. Then I searched the building. I can't find him."  
  
There was a deathly silence.  
  
"Oh my gosh. Oh my-----When I ran past where his post was the second time, his papers weren't there anymore. That means whoever took Mulder was in there while I was searching for him. Oh my.....Oh my.....They could have followed me here. They could know where you are." She all but broke down, her head in her hands.  
  
"I should leave."  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"My place."  
  
"That's not safe, Federico."  
  
"They could have followed me here. They could know where you are. I can't put you guys in danger, too. Heavens, I can't afford to lose you three as well!"  
  
"We're not going anywhere." Langly half-kidded.  
  
"That's what Mulder said."  
  
She put her head in her lap. Byers patted her shoulder.  
  
"Sit down on the couch-thing.----  
  
"---- You can't actually call that thing a couch.----"Frohike stated sharply.  
  
"---- I'll get you some coffee."  
  
"No. I should get going."  
  
"You're not going anywhere, Federico." Frohike glared. "Especially not your apartment, which heaven knows, will be under constant surveillance."  
  
Federico didn't budge. She sniffed, trying to hold back a sob. She was an agent. They had no emotions. They never sobbed. They never ever betrayed there hard shell.  
  
Frohike passed her the tissues just in time.  
  
"I have a hunch," She said, still trying to catch her breath, and hold back sniffs, "In one of those files, it tells us where they've been taken. Only, somewhere......"  
  
"Here." Byers handed her a mug of a weak coffee.  
  
"Thanks."  
Federico woke up with a bad crick in her neck. She must have fallen asleep on the couch-thing. She tossed off the blanket that had gotten on her during the night, and attempted to make a pot of coffee. If you could call it that.  
  
When the Gunmen awoke, there were bagels, coffee, and a thank-you note placed on the table waiting for them. Federico apparently had left for the F.B.I. headquarters.  
  
F.B.I. Headquarters 9:30 A.M.  
  
"Is A.D. Skinner in?" Federico panted as she looked at Holly.  
  
"Eh, yes. But, you-----"  
  
Federico waited for nothing else, but barged into Skinner's office.  
  
"Agent Federico?"  
  
"Sir!" she called out.  
  
"Agent, what is this?" His shifty-glance was thrown around the room, and consistently bounced off the walls.  
  
"Sir," she took a quick look around to make sure they were absolutely alone, ('Trust No One'), "I need your help."  
  
"Agent, if this is-"  
  
"Sir, hear me out. Mulder, Scully, they've gone missing!"  
  
"Agent, I don't want to hear this."  
  
"Sir, Please. I don't know what to do."  
  
"FEDERICO!"  
  
Federico eyed him indignantly.  
  
"Every time you open your mouth, you endanger the lives of Mulder and Scully. I'm being....." His voice trailed off, and he dropped his tone, "I'm being monitored, (Federico paused and thought, "Fancy word for blackmail?"), by the Smoking Man. By keeping quiet, your not only saving your CENSORED!, but Mulder and Scully's CENSORED!, too. I need you to go now. Don't contact me till this is over. And, agent, watch out."  
  
Federico nodded, then left wordlessly.  
  
On her way to her office, she began to read some papers. Going down the stairs, she heard someone behind her. She rolled her eyes, and prepared to reach for her gun. PUKOO! She was thrown down the stairs mercilessly. Her papers stolen from her, the guy ran off, and she got up minutes later, rubbing her already sore arm from when she dived to catch what Mulder had tossed her. She got up and walked to her office. Moan, moan.  
  
"Federico!"  
  
She whirled around. Did she not ever get a break?  
  
"Garaguso!" She smiled at her partner.  
  
"Hi ya'."  
  
"Hey, weren't you supposed to be on vacation?"  
  
He smiled at her. "Yeah, but I got a call. You needed help on a case?"  
  
Federico remained silent.  
  
"Yeah....." She lied.  
  
"Can I see the Files?"  
  
She paused.  
  
"In your hands?"  
  
She sighed, then smiled. "Here. Let me know what you think of them." She smiled.  
  
"I'll be in the coffee room."  
  
"I'll let you know if anything turns up." She smiled and marched off. She pulled out her handy-dandy compact case mirror. She never wore make-up (much to her mother's disapproval), but in these cases of spying, this feminine kit was most reliable. She studied her partner in the mirror, as she entered her office.  
  
Man! He had morphed. Trust no one, echoed in her head. She closed her compact case, and prayed that Garaguso was safe, wherever the heck he really was.  
  
She sat down pretending not to know anything. The apparent bounty hunter entered her office. She pretended to have to tear herself away from her computer screen.  
  
"Can I help you?"  
  
"Garaguso?"  
  
"Coffee room. Two corridors down to the left." She smiled pleasantly.  
  
He expects me to lead him. It's a trap.  
  
She smiled at him, just staring, until he nodded and made for the door.  
  
SWISH!!!!! She threw the stiletto, and winced as it pierced precisely. The hunter fell to the floor. If she hadn't been trained to have a clean mouth, curses would have rolled off her tongue a-plenty.  
  
Trust-no-one, trust-no-one, sounded clearly to the rhythm of her running shoes.  
  
She ran into the ladies room, and pounded her fist against the wall. Who could she turn to? Not Skinner. Heck with Kerch. Gunmen were currently unavailable. Mulder, Scully.  
  
"WHY ME!!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?" She screamed, looking up to high heavens. She paced back and forth. Garaguso.....Garaguso. Something jingled in her pocket. She pulled out several samples that Mulder had given her at the Pentagon. HHmm, it was kinda green..........  
  
On an impulse she ran towards her office. Yep, it was still there. The bounty hunter hadn't budged. She rummaged through her draws and found a capsule and pliers. She quickly pushed some of the green stuff into it, then looked around wildly. She figured it was somewhat suspicious to leave the body lying in the doorway. She reached to pull out the stiletto, but halted. Unwise, she recalled. Instead, she kind of shoved the Bounty hunter into her room.  
  
She ran in a circle, then raced to Skinner's office.  
  
"Agent Federico! You can't go in----"  
  
Federico shot Kimberly a glare that could kill. She pushed her way into the door.  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"Agent Federico, what are----"  
  
"Sir. I'm in a fowl mood. And I don't care if the Smoking Man was sitting right in front of you at the moment, I need you to listen and hear me out. In my office there is a----Have we met before?" She looked at Smoking Man who had just stepped out of the shadows. "Well, that's not the point. Assistant Director, there is a....roach--"  
  
"--A roach."  
  
"--Yes. In my office. It's threatening to lay eggs in my paperwork. I was never good with bugs, I was hoping maybe......" She glanced at Smoking Man Again, "Well. I see you have company. Thanks anyway. I'll see what I can do about it....." She ran out.  
  
"There is a man in that room, "She said to Kimberly confidentially, "That I want you to kill. Thanks." She ran out.  
  
DARN! DARN! DARN! DARN! "HASHBROWNS!" She said the last part out loud in the hallway, her scream echoing in the hallway.  
  
She ran into the crime lab.  
  
"Ay, Danny?"  
  
"Agent Federico!"  
  
"Hi ya'. Ehm....I need to borrow the lab a few minutes. I need to run some tests."  
  
"Sure. What do you want me to test?"  
  
"Well.....I kinda need to be the only one in the lab."  
  
"That's tricky."  
  
"No one will know. At most, ,I'll be two hours. Take your coffee break early." She smiled hopefully.  
  
"Right. But if anything-"  
  
"It'll be fine." She practically pushed him out the door and locked it behind him.  
  
She'd always wondered when that Ph.D. kick in. 


	9. Where They Might Be!

Disclaimer: ....................... **************************************************************************** ****************  
  
"You've reached the Lone Gunmen's office. Please leave a message."  
  
"Hi, it's Federico. Pick up." Federico waited patiently.  
  
"What's going on?" Byers asked.  
  
"Hi ya'. Well. Several things. I'm on my way to the hotel room now. Will you guys be there?"  
  
"Ehm.....Yeah."  
  
"Great."  
  
"Something wrong?"  
  
"Oh, no, just the usual. I mean, it's just I have another bounty hunter dead locked in my office again." CLICK.  
  
She knocked on the Gunmen's hotel room door, and walked in waving the capsule of green gunk.  
  
"What's this about a bounty hunter?" Byers asked.  
  
"Some bounty hunter impersonated my partner, Garaguso. Only Garaguso is on vacation. I told him to use some personal days while I worked on this case, and he took me up on it."  
  
"And you killed it?"  
  
"Yeah. I locked him in my room and I never removed the Stiletto. In any event, I took a sample of that green stuff that pours out of him, and did a study of it. Then I rummaged through the X-File office a little. IT so happens that this green gunk, happens to be some form of bounty hunter blood. In the sample I took there was a little," She cringed, "Gland-thing. Apparently, this blood mixes with a toxin that is secreted by this gland at the base of the neck, and that causes everyone's eyes to burn out when they 'bleed.' It also happens to be why they're indestructible. Near Indestructible, anyway. It's some sort of something that keeps them alive, the gland I mean, which is why when you puncture it, they die.." She leaned against the bed-post. "Man, I wish I finished Med. school."  
  
"And you figured this out through a little test?"  
  
"Well.....yeah....and, I mean.....several guesses. What!? I didn't have time to cut him open and study his internal structure! 'Sides, whom I to say he's dead?"  
  
"Because you punctured that little gland."  
  
"Oh, yeah."  
  
"In any case," she continued, "That's not all. Before he disappeared, Mulder gave this sample from Roswell he found at the Pentagon." She handed it to Byers. "It matched the green gunk exactly. It's a little yellow though, simply because of the amount of oxygen it was exposed to. I was able to recreate its conditions in the crime lab with a bit of the green stuff from my bounty hunter friend, made a perfect match."  
  
"And......."  
  
"And? And this means that bounty hunters are the guys with the downed craft at Roswell!"  
  
Byers studied the capsule.  
  
"Where's Langly and Frohike?"  
  
"Their still at our place goin' over your files and working on some equipment. Once we do figure out where Mulder and Scully are, we're gonna have to sneak in somehow."  
  
"Great. Umm....Where's your place?" She asked throwing her jacket back on.  
  
He wrote down the address.  
  
"Grmeermph. Long drive from here. Ah, well. Keep in touch." She smiled and ran out.  
"Who's there?"  
  
"Federico."  
  
"One minute."  
  
Click. Clack. Cloke. Clink. Clunk. Clock. Cleek. Clook.  
  
Federico stepped inside, and rolled her eyes on the number of locks on their door. She thought Mulder was a wee-bit paranoid?  
  
"Byers said you'd be here."  
  
"Byers?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Byers has been with us all day. He left about 15 minutes ago to meet you at the hotel."  
  
"Darn this world!" She dialed Byers's cell like mad.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Byers?"  
  
"Yes who is this-"  
  
"It's Federico. Where are you?"  
  
"About 4 blocks away from the hotel. Why?"  
  
"Are you just arriving?"  
  
"Yeah. Bad traffic."  
  
"Byers turn around and run."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Turn around. We'll meet you.........At my office."  
  
"Uh, okay."  
  
Click.  
  
"Darn it. Guys, you've gotta get out of here. Delete any information you've got stored. Bring all your papers with you. Some darn bounty hunter followed me. He knows you're here too."  
Byers entered Federico's office.  
  
"Byers?"  
  
"HI. What just happened?"  
  
"Some bounty hunter posed as you." She glanced at the dead hunter still in her office.  
  
"I just told it all my information." She recapped what she knew now.  
  
"But the stiletto is the only thing to kill them?"  
  
"Right. The gland is properly punctured by it. Also, the metal the stiletto is made of, has a chemical reaction with the blood before it even comes in contact with it, and causes the bounty hunter to become in active."  
  
Byers sat down.  
  
"And Mulder and Scully?"  
  
"We're working on it."  
  
"We could be in......" Frohike said looking at Federico's computer screen.  
  
Federico's face lit up.  
  
"From these files, we know two things. One, that Mulder and Scully are in the Pentagon, and two, that they're in an area requiring level 4 clearance." Langly never looked away from the computer once.  
  
"How do you know that?"  
  
"Those decoded files? Civilians who got a little too close to the aliens for comfort at Roswell, became the first abductees. They were brought to this specific room inside the Pentagon, where they were questioned, tested, the works."  
  
"Okay......"  
  
"Only a handful of people had access to that room, level four clearance people. From the file we know that this room is located in the basement, passed filing rooms, and behind the boiler room. Two days ago, that room was accessed. Only 2 people with level four clearance logged in that day, one didn't even go to the room, the other, was C.G.B.Spender."  
  
Federico glanced at the screen.  
  
"Okay. Think you guys could bypass the systems for me?"  
  
They looked at her.  
  
"Probably." Byers admitted.  
  
"Great. How soon can we start?"  
  
"Tomorrow night."  
  
"Right." She paused. "Where do we stay this evening? Jopiebay Inn is no longer an option."  
  
"We'll take Mulder's house....You take Scully's."  
  
"Do you guys have keys?"  
  
The shuffled a bit.  
  
"Guys?"  
  
"Do you have a lock pick?"  
  
"I'm beginning to wonder if you're a bounty hunter, too, Byers! You, lock pick?" Then she shrugged. "Yeah, I'll do it." 


	10. Christmas Eve, HAPPY HUNTING!

Disclaimer: Everything As Before, and anything else I might have forgotten, like refrences to things that aren't mine. **************************************************************************** ***  
  
December 24, 2002. Mulder's Apt. 8:40 P.M.  
  
Federico adjusted her equipment. She'd become very comfortable with its functions.  
  
"Can you hear me?"  
  
"That's right." She smiled, outside the door. Frohike opened it up. They wanted to make sure the equipment still worked, after Langly had accidentally dropped it down the drain.  
  
"Okay. We're gonna be inside the cable system of the Pentagon."  
  
"How you gonna do that?"  
  
"Ask no questions, I'll tell you no lies. From there, will have visual of what you see on your laptop, a map of where you are, audio, and we can bypass the system by cutting wires."  
  
"Okay. How are you going to move about?"  
  
"Ask me no question and I'll tell you no lies. When you swipe this fake card, our timing will have to be precise and synchronized to make it look like you have the level four clearances."  
  
"How'll you accomplish that?"  
  
"Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies. Once you're inside the filing room, we may get fuzzy readings, but as long as you make no sudden movements, it should be alright."  
  
"And if I do make a sudden movement?"  
  
"Ask me no----"  
  
"Questions, and you'll tell me no lies. I know, I know. Good luck, guys. I'll be at the Pentagon at 11, you should be set up by then, Langly said."  
15 Minutes Later.....  
  
"I love these cable-transportation things!" Frohike smiled, riding the cabled up and down.  
  
"Frohike, Your gonna choke yourself."  
  
"Will not, Byers. Oopps....Uh....guys? I think I'm stuck. Can I get some help here?"  
  
"NO."  
  
Pentagon 11:00 P.M.  
  
Federico entered the building, trying to appear that she knew what she was doing, and acting like there was every reason in the world why should be aloud in there. The high ceiling, and overly spacious lobby gave her the creeps, and she considered hiding behind some plants. She pretended to adjust her hair, but really pressed against her audio device in her ear, so she could hear the Gunmen among the throngs of people.  
  
"Well? Where to?"  
  
"Over you left....." Byers's voice rang in her ears. She tried to imagine him sliding around on distorted cables. "There should be a doorway. It looks like an exit. But----"  
  
"That's the door Mulder and I used the other day." She mentioned, walking calmly towards it.  
  
"Ready?" Frohike sang. "When you swipe the card.....On my mark.....NOW!"  
  
She swiped it through. Waiting, waiting. The little red light flicked off. The green came on.  
  
She smiled at the door guard smugly, then continued forward. The door swung closed behind her.  
  
"Right.....Down the corridor." Byers chimed in again. "Turn left."  
  
"Left?"  
  
"Right."  
  
Federico halted.  
  
"Right or left, Byers?"  
  
"Left." Byers corrected himself.  
  
Federico turned onto the left corridor and slid past several darkened rooms.  
  
"Okay. Turn into this door. Wait! Wait! Back up, you went too far."  
  
Federico rolled her eyes, and ran backwards.  
  
"HALT!" Byers screeched. His voice echoed throughout the cable system. If Langly and Frohike thought that their ears were in pain, imagine Federico's as Byers' voice ran through her brain at what felt like close proximity.  
  
She stalked off. She waited for her cue from Frohike, then swiped her card. Red. Green.  
  
She walked in, closed the door behind her. She reached for her gun (Yes, she made sure that it was loaded this time, as she had learned her lesson.) and flicked her flashlight on, waving it around wildly.  
  
"All clear?" She asked the Gunmen, hoping they would detect anyone else's presence in the room that she might not be able to.  
  
"All clear." She proceeded with caution, despite Byers' warnings.  
  
Around the corner, she paused, listening. No one. Man, she hated her job. NO, that was a lie. She loved her job. She just hated when she got stuck in these situations. Yeah, she'd had to get Garaguso out of some pretty hostile situations. You know, the usual disgruntled terrorist, the ones that you usually got in her division. Somehow this was different. Very different.  
  
She frowned, coming to two doors. Hmm.....  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Umm...."Byers sounded somewhat unsure. She wasn't too happy about that.  
  
Byers looked at the other Gunmen.  
  
"DARN THSESE CABLE MESSES!" Langly screamed. He'd temporarily turned off his speaker, so Federico never caught on he was having some difficulties.  
  
"Langly, what is going on!?" Byers demanded.  
  
"I know. I know. It's just....Hold on." He looked at a red cable a minute, studying it intently. Then he clipped it promptly, alerted Byers that it was all clear, and switched his speaker back on.  
  
Byers tapped around his computer. Right, left?  
  
"Forward march." Frohike called out.  
  
"What?" Federico was at a dead-end.  
  
"Forward."  
  
"Frohike, I----"  
  
"I know. But go against the wall, then turn around, and get your gun."  
  
"Man." She did as she was told, Swung around and aimed her gun.  
  
"Oh, wait. False alarm."  
  
"Frohike!" She hissed into the dark.  
  
"If it's any consolation, I know you need to go to the door to your left now."Byers announced hopefully.  
  
"Thanks." She swiped her card on cue, and the door opened.  
  
"Okay. Straight. No. Left. Darn it!"  
  
"What now?"  
  
"Nothing," Langly lied. Actually, his audio system just went fuzzy, Byers no longer had a map of the Pentagon, and Frohike couldn't tell whether there were other people in the room, and No one had visual of Federico anymore.  
  
"Just go ahead." Byers said, looking at the others concerned.  
  
"Okay...." She went straight, and came to a door.  
  
"This the door."  
  
Byers wished he really had installed a "Hold" button. Unfortuanylly, he hadn't. He looked at the others with a pleading look. No one actually knew.  
  
"Ummm.....Yeah."  
  
She swiped, and Langly cut a random cable. Luckily for him, it worked.  
  
She went in and took a good look around her. Chills ran up and down her spine.  
  
"I'm where Mulder last disappeared."  
  
"Then at least we know you're close."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
Federico proceeded to the past. She cringed.  
  
"See those E.B.E.s? UGHH."  
  
"Uh....Yeah." Frohike lied again.  
  
"Go straight into the room." He added, guessing his way through this.  
  
Again, Langly cut a random circuit. Nothing.  
  
"Langly?"  
  
"Wait...." He no longer knew which cables belonged to what anymore, as he no longer knew where Federico was, nor did they have diagrams, maps, and audio was going fast. Frohike was working on it, but you know, there's only so much one guy can do.  
  
"Okay." He smiled. Federico swiped again, it worked. She stepped in, and nearly fainted.  
  
"I'm gonna be sick." She moaned. "What if they're not....you know....."  
  
"Dead?" Frohike offered hopefully.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Then we'll rig up some Indiana Jones music to your audio device."  
  
"Not funny."  
  
She proceeded to the only door she could see. "Okay?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
She opened it. She hated her job. No that was a lie. Didn't she already have this conversation with herself?  
  
"Okay. Ummm.....What the? Hold on, Federico, something funky goin' on with my screen. Hold it. Who the....."  
  
"Byers? Byers! What! Hello?????"  
  
All the Gunmen heard it. Federico yelped. And there audio left them. And there visual was moot. And all they could do was look at each other. And then they frantically pulled on cords, and typed, and pulled files, and hacked......  
"Federico? Hello? Come on. Come on. Federico? Do you hear us? Come on. Come one. Answer. Answer. Federico? FEDERICO?"  
  
"Langly?" She called, rubbing her head. She sat up, but fell back down. She was really dizzy, and the hard floor her head just slammed against did not help.  
  
"Oh, good."  
  
"Langly? What happened?"  
  
"I wish we knew."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Our audio and visual cut out about 20 minutes ago." Byers explained. "We just got audio back. I really don't know what happened, I mean, even our audio's a little fuzzy. Do you know what happened?" He added after a short time.  
  
"No...." She stood up, her head on her head. She couldn't tell if she was bleeding or not. "Ummm....I remember feeling someone push me.....I know I was near stairs. Could I have fallen down them?" She asked absent-mindedly. "I don't know," She admitted, her voice faltering. "I felt someone give me c good kick in the ribs. And, then I woke up here.....Well....Wherever here is. I mean......Woow! It's DARK! Where am I, guys?"  
  
"Well. We don't actually know."  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
"We lost our map way back when in the filing room."  
  
"And our little diagrams." Frohike cut in.  
  
"Man."  
  
"Can you tell us any landmarks around you?"  
  
"Landmarks?" She sounded something similar to amused.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Okay. I don't know, really. There's, umm. There's a little bit of a chip in the paint on the door."  
  
There was an annoyed silence from The Gunmen.  
  
"Sorry, guys, but there's really nothing I can identify. I mean, its dark, its small. Look. You ask a stupid question, you get a stupid answer. That's all there is to it."  
  
"Okay. So it's dark. What else? The space you're in?"  
  
"Okay.....I'd say that I have about 4 feet of room. The walls....Four of them....Go down to the floor and up to the ceiling. Except for the front one. That one goes from the very bottom of the floor to about 4 feet from the ceiling.......That's it."  
  
"Hmmm....Sounds like a bathroom." Frohike said.  
  
"Pervert." Langly accused from behind him.  
  
"What? I'm really serious!" He sounded quite indignant.  
  
"Tell me. Do you feel a...." He added.  
  
"Toilet?" Federico cut him off, laughing. She felt around with her foot.  
  
Her eyes widened. Wow.  
  
"Uh....Yeah."  
  
"Told ya'." Frohike smiled a smug smile at Langly who kept his back to him, although he was secretly annoyed.  
  
Federico rattled the door. How annoying.  
  
"It's locked." She commented. "From the outside." She kicked it.  
  
"Can't help you there." Byers sounded somewhat regretful.  
  
"Maybe if I....Well...." She jumped on the toilet. Felt the door with her hands. She could do it. Leaning forward, she gripped the top, jumped, held herself up, hoisted herself up and over the top, then jumped down with a nasty crash.  
  
"UYFF............."As if her shoulder didn't hurt enough as it is.  
  
"Okay. I'm out.....I don't know how." She smiled. "But I'm out."  
  
"Great. Because we couldn't have helped you out of that one."  
  
Federico frowned. She felt her way along the wall, and out the door.  
  
"Woo. Where AM I?" She called into the darkness.  
  
"Sorry. We're kinda.....ummm......................disabled."  
  
"I know, I know, Byers. Let's see if my brain still works. Boy. They never taught this at the academy." She mentioned a short time later.  
  
"Langly? Byers? Frohike? Hello?" She paused in her tracks, pressing against her device. It had suddenly gone completely silent. She'd never realized until then how much their typing and snipping echoed in her ears. She'd grown accustomed to it. But now that it stopped, she grew quite worried. "Guys? Come on? Hello? HELLO!?"  
  
She closed her eyes, and hit the wall with her fist again. She exited through the doors. Man. Where was she?  
  
She heard voices. Voices. She didn't know whether to take that as a good or a bad omen. She accepted it as bad, and poised her gun apprrrropprietly.  
  
She poked her head around the corner. "My heavens......"  
  
She pressed her head against the wall. Then prepared to charge...... 


	11. Lost And Finally Found!

Disclaimer: Same. Please Review. One More Chapter to go! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Somewhere in a room with very sparse furniture-and we mean sparse. Like two chairs, two cabinets, a rug, no lamp, no window, and a desk-sparse.-sat Mulder, tied it a chair, his hands cuffed, his feet cuffed, and a resolute look on his face. Across from him, in the only other chair situated on the rug, sat a man, smoking a cigarette, a cigarette from a brand we like to call Morley's'' Lights.  
  
"Don't you know that that stuff causes cancer?" Mulder said for the 6th time that hour.  
  
Smoking Man took no notice, just took another light.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"Are those the only two statements that you know?"  
  
Mulder glared intently, and quite reverently.  
  
"You know, Mr. Mulder, that you were brought here for the purpose of----"  
  
"Cut to the chase." He was loosing his patience. Rather, it was lost. He'd lost it a looonnng time ago.  
  
"Well, it's like this. You wanna know the truth, and I'm willing to give it to you, for a price-----"  
  
"-----Haven't I heard that line before?" Then he leaned forward, and practically shouted aloud. "ITs a lie! Whatever your going to tell me! ALL YOU SAY ARE LIES!"  
  
"Oh, the terrible lies we must endure. It is a part of life, and yet some people refuse to accept them!" Cigarette Smoking Man shot Mulder a look that would have chilled anyone else's blood.  
  
"Why should we ever accept anything less than the truth? Why ever give into something you know you can defeat?"  
  
"Because sometimes that lie is all there is. And you must accept or accept the consequences."  
  
"But why face the consequences when you know there are more ways than one to uproot the lie. And expose it for what it really is?" A friendly voice echoed in the room.  
  
"Mulder. You didn't tell me you had company." Smoking Man said indifferently, lighitng up yet another Cigarette.  
  
"If I knew she was coming I'd-a baked a cake." Mulder said, smiling broadly.  
  
Federico nudges Smoking Man, and pointed to the wall with a simple gesture from her gun and her head. He heaved a sigh, and promptly followed.  
  
"Care to tell me where Scully is?" She bent down, keeping the gun on him, pulled a knife from her sock, backed up, cut Mulder's wrist loose from the chair he was sitting on, and left him with the knife, then went back to Smoking Man, where he had yet to move.  
  
"So long as I have an option." Smoking Man smiled, moving for his right pocket.  
  
"No options, just fate. Where is she?" Federico demanded, holding him until he put his hand back into view.  
  
"Kill me and you kill Scully's last chance of escape."  
  
"I was thinking more like life in prison than death."  
  
"She's in the closet." Mulder called.  
  
"Could you get her?" Federico called over her right shoulder. "Please, do me the honors."  
  
Mulder promptly undid the lock. Mulder smiled at Scully who gave him a glare, and then he helped her out.  
  
"What you going to do now? No one's gonna believe you."  
  
She undid her safety lock.  
  
"Kill me, and you're dead yourselves. After all, someone's gonna notice soon. Like Krycek. Then you're really dead."  
  
Federico halted, thinking quietly.  
  
"Safe passage. For everyone existing this building tonight. No one is to be followed. No one is to get hurt, nor their families, nor their friends, and this whole incident will be forgotten, do you understand?"  
  
"Perfectly."  
  
Federico hesitated, then allowed Smoking Man to leave. As he was about to leave the corner, a shot rang out.  
  
Federico was evidently a sharp shooter, and had put a whole through his sleeve, although the bullet never touched him.  
  
"Merry Christmas." She called out to him quietly.  
  
He nodded, then turned the corner.  
  
She turned to her companions. "You guys okay?"  
  
"We're fine." Scully answered.  
  
Federico smiled, then motioned for them to leave.  
In the car, Federico dialed the Gunmen's cell phones. Byers answered.  
  
"Byers?"  
  
"Federico! Where are you?"  
  
"We're in the car."  
  
"We're?"  
  
"Yeah. I've got them. Just get out. Leave now."  
  
"But--"  
  
"We'll explain in the car." 


	12. Explanation And At Work

Disclaimer: Same As Always. Yay. Last Chapter, so please review! Thanks for reading!  
December 31, 2002. 8:40 P.M.  
  
The Federico Doorbell rang. Mrs. Federico answered.  
  
"Hello. Mrs. Federico?" Three FBI badges were flashed. "We're with the FBI. My name is Special Agent Jacinta Federico, these are my partners Special Agents Dana Scully and Special Agents Fox Mulder, and this is our 'personal support staff people', and we'd like to ask you a few questions?"  
  
There was a brief pause, and then a round of hugs for all.  
  
Federico Living room 11:40 P.M.  
  
Federico smiled at her glass of champagne.  
  
"Okay. I'm confused, am I the only one?"  
  
Everyone remained silent.  
  
"Apparently." She was amused. "Enlighten me, please." She leaned back.  
  
"Well, what are you confused about?" Scully asked.  
  
"Ummm....From the part where I first introduced myself."  
  
"Well....Let's be a little more specific."  
  
"Okay.... Mrs. What's-her-name. I mean. Where'd she fit in?"  
  
"Well. Smoking Man lied. She was at Roswell. But like everyone else who witnessed the crash, her name was kept off the files, and she was practically wipe out of existence. She was really pointing us in the right direction, amazingly enough."  
  
"Okay. So. We hook up with Area 51. We get nothing from there, aside from seeing an alien-like thing, and my friend's cousin. I arrange to meet with him. I steal files. Which have missing pages.....?"  
  
"Pure accident." Mudler said. He received a questioning look from Federico. "It was. It was an accident. We found out that those files were sent to another country."  
  
"That was an accident?"  
  
"Well.....more or less. Ms. Kahmpii apparently works for all the countries who work together for colonization as secretary, as well as one communist country who doesn't belong to the international conspiracy."  
  
"China."  
  
"That's right."  
  
"The two-timing rat, girl." She laughed.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
There was a silence.  
  
"Guys?"  
  
"We didn't know if we could trust you."Langly admitted from his post on the couch.  
  
"Didn't trust me!? I snuck into the headquarters, stole files, WAS NEARLY KILLED MIGHT I ADD!!!!! I'm.....I'm a RAMONES FAN!!" She pleaded as though she were pleading for her very life. "I mean trust no one, but hey, now! Sheesh! Do you trust me? NOW?"  
  
"Yes." Scully rushed quickly. "Implicitly"  
  
"Well, that's good to hear." She sat back indignantly. "OH!" She sat up. "I've got it!" "I saved you!"  
  
"That was after the fact." Frohike pointed out.  
  
"Hmmm....." She leaped back again. "So you.......*have your doubts*.....What was the encrypted junk?"  
  
"Simply records about alien anatomy. That's it."  
  
"Spiff. Okay, why were you captured?"  
  
"They wanted you dead," Byers said. "But that didn't work. So to keep Mulder and Scully out of the picture, they captured them. Probably had killed them too soon enough." He added remorsefully.  
  
"Divide and conquer." She said. "So....Did we ever.....Make a connection between colonization and Roswell, you know, and fulfill our mission?"  
  
"Sure. We now know that Bounty hunters were at Roswell, and they're gonna colonize." Langly said simply. "That's the connection."  
  
"Wait, wait. I feel like we're running around in circles this whole time, where, I mean, what are we missing, that's it, that's the connection?" She let out in one breath.  
  
"That's the connection. But we did run in circles, cause we didn't have that file from Ms.Kahmpii, the one she gave China." Scully said pointedly.  
  
Federico laughed. "To think! Here we are, questioning our case, I mean, we've ran around in circles, we've found next to nothing, and you guys are okay with this. This is like all your cases. And you're STILL on The X- Files! Man! I give you guy's credit for your stamina!" She laughed. Then proposed a toast. "To our next case!"  
  
"To our next case!" They chimed in.  
  
"Hey! The ball's dropping!"  
  
"4.....3....2....1.....HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! WOOO!!! HOOO!!!!!"  
  
February 4, 2003 9:40 A.M. FBI Headquarters.  
  
Federico smiled to herself as she walked to her office.  
  
"Federico!"  
  
She whirled around. Uh-oh.  
  
"Garaguso?"  
  
"Hi ya'!"  
  
"Where'd you go?"  
  
"Vacation....." He sounded surprised.  
  
She flipped her stiletto quietly. No reaction.  
  
"Boy, I missed you!" She said, satisfied, and gave him a hug.  
  
"Well...uh...that's...nice." He was evidentially confused. She dragged him into the office, bombarding him with questions about his case. Finally she sat down at her desk, he at his. She smiled.  
  
"Goit a new case for us."  
  
He smiled. "With Mulder and Scully?" His New York accent was heavier than hers.  
  
"I wish! Nope. Just another terrorist group, threatening to release biological weapons."  
  
"Awww.....Again?" He joked at her calmness about it.  
  
"Yeah. Again." She felt relieved. A tremendous, but fun, weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "Why don't you go see what you can pull outta of Skinner? I'll research here."  
  
"Sure." Garaguso left with a smiles.  
  
She smiled, and flipped on her computer.  
  
You've Got Mail!  
  
Wow! At work?  
  
She opened it up. Federico immediately burst out laughing. She shook her head. A smile spread across her face, as she printed it out, and pressed "Keep as New."  
Dear Federico,  
  
Thanks for everything! See you soon! (?? ??)  
  
-The Tinmen  
E Fin  
  
Author's Note: Okay, Remember that really funny picture of the Lone Gunmen? Okay, maybe you don't, but it's of them staring at you, through, presumably, a computer screen. I don't know, it strikes me as funny. But before they "sign" their names in Federico's email, that picture is supposed to be there, although I couldn't get it up on Fanfiction.net I hope you enjoyed. I'm actually workin' on another Jacinta Federico one. As always, please review! Thanks for reading! 


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